The world’s longest sea bridge — the 55-kilometer Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge — has become the main transport artery of southern China. The project cost over $20 billion and took nine years to build. It connected three major cities, cutting travel time from several hours to 40 minutes. The structure is an engineering complex that’s pretty unique. It has three cable-stayed bridges, artificial islands, and an underwater tunnel. It’s all designed to withstand typhoons and allow large vessels to pass through.
The Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge, the world’s longest sea bridge, is now a major transportation route for southern China, connecting the region’s three key cities, according to RMF24.
It took nine years to build, and it cost about $20.35 billion.
As the report says, the arrival of the 55-kilometer-long giant has totally changed the region’s transport logistics. Before the bridge opened, the only way to get from one side of the river to the other was by passenger ferry.
Thanks to the new route, it’s now possible to travel between Hong Kong, Zhuhai, and Macau in just 40 minutes. That’s a 50% reduction in travel time! Experts say this breakthrough has made travel more comfortable for passengers and created the conditions for instant trade between the three metropolises.
The construction was really challenging. It’s come to light that engineers had to deal with a bunch of typhoons and tricky sea currents. The main part of the crossing has three bridges that go over the Zhuzhou, Jianghai, and Qingzhou channels. This allows big boats to pass through easily.
The project’s also got artificial islands, underground tunnels, and a bunch of access roads and border checkpoints.
Each part of the bridge has its own unique look. The Quzhou Bridge is especially unique with its sail-shaped towers. Right now, the whole infrastructure is hooked up to the region’s transport network via dedicated connections.