The Hong Kong - Macau - Zhuhai bridge will soon connect the former British and Portuguese colonies, which today have turned into special administrative regions of China, as well as the large city of Guangdong Province, located in the Pearl River Delta. The cost of the construction is estimated at more than 10 billion US dollars. After completion of construction work, the bridge will be 50 kilometers long. This will be an absolute world record.
Background
In 1982, the rapid growth of transport links at the border prompted the Hong Kong government and Guangdong provincial authorities to conclude an agreement on the construction of additional roads and checkpoints. Soon after the reunification of the British colony with China, a comprehensive study was conducted to find possible ways to improve infrastructure. A specially created commission proposed the construction of the Hong Kong - Macau bridge. According to experts, such a unique structure will solve transport problems and create significant economic, social and political advantages. The idea of constructing a Hong Kong - Macau bridge is fully consistent with the concept of "one country - two systems", on which the relations of mainland China and former European colonies are based.
Training
In 2003, a tripartite working group was created to coordinate a grandiose project. The headquarters for the construction of the Hong Kong - Macau Bridge is located in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province. One of the Chinese design institutes was given the task of thoroughly studying all the technical, environmental and economic factors associated with the planned design. In 2004, the selected organization submitted to the coordination group preliminary design developments for the Hong Kong - Macau bridge. According to the designers, the gigantic structure should be in the form of the Latin letter Y. Design studies cost $ 50 million.
Economical effect
The authors of the project hope that the less developed regions of southern China will gain access to global markets through the bridge between Hong Kong and Macau. In the long run, the former British colony can rely on significant benefits from the flows of goods that flood through its territory to all countries of the world. Hong Kong will establish itself in the position of an international logistics center, improve the regional transport system and create a large number of additional jobs. The implementation of the project will contribute to deepening economic integration between the special administrative region and mainland China. Travel time will be reduced from the current 4 hours to about 40 minutes thanks to the bridge from Hong Kong to Macau. The length of its longest section will be 29 kilometers.
Tourism industry
There is a high probability that the commissioning of the grandiose bridge will increase the flow of travelers visiting Hong Kong for educational and entertaining purposes. The ability to quickly get to Macau, known worldwide as the center of the gambling industry, will make the former British colony more attractive for tourists. In addition, residents of Guangdong will have an incentive to regularly come to Hong Kong for shopping. The tourism industry is an important source of income for a particular administrative region. The development of this industry will have a beneficial effect on the entire Hong Kong economy. However, some residents of the metropolis fear that the construction of the bridge may violate the natural beauty of Chung Tung Bay, one of the attractions of the island, annually attracting masses of tourists.
Construction
The implementation of the ambitious project began in 2009. Representatives of the government of the People’s Republic of China attended the ceremony of laying the section of the bridge in Zhuhai. Work on the implementation of the megaproject in Hong Kong started only in 2011. The reason for the delay in the start of the construction of a section of the bridge located in the territory of the special administrative region was the active protests of environmentalists. To build border checkpoints on the Hong Kong side, the construction of an artificial island was planned. According to ecologists, the use of traditional methods of backfilling and draining the coastal zone to create a new territory could cause serious harm to the environment. The use of safer technologies for flora and fauna required additional costs of time and finance. The authors of the megaproject could not meet the initial deadlines and complete the construction by 2016. The cost of the Hong Kong site increased by about 50%. According to media reports, the opening of the bridge is scheduled for December 2017.