The world’s longest bridge and tunnel sea-crossing, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, will officially open to the public on Wednesday 24 October 2018, following a formal ceremony with President Xi Jinping today.
At 55km, the bridge is 20 times longer than San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge and is the first major combined road and tunnel seacrossing in the Greater Bay Area.
The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge will strengthen Hong Kong’s position as Asia’s gateway and a hub for multi-destination travel within the Greater Bay Area, which includes nine cities in the Guangdong Province and two Special Administrative Regions. The bridge will also shorten the journey time from Hong Kong International Airport to Zhuhai from four hours to 45 minutes.
Spanning the sea from an artificial island near Hong Kong International Airport to Macao and the mainland Chinese city of Zhuhai, the bridge contains enough steel to build 60 Eiffel Towers and is designed to last 120 years, two decades longer than the lifespan of most major sea-cross bridges.
HKTB Regional Director – Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific, Andrew Clark said the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge will reinforce Hong Kong’s position as Asia’s gateway and foster further economic and tourism development.
“The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge will be a fantastic tool to further enhance the destination’s tourism offering by putting a wealth of diverse cultural attractions, including: the stunning ruins of St. Paul’s in Macao; the Statue of Fisher Girl in Zhuhai; the Kaiping Diaolou; the Seven Star Crags in Zhaoqing, all within easy reach,” Mr Clark said.
When entering Hong Kong, the first port of call is Lantau Island, home of the city’s international airport; Disneyland; and an enthralling and beautiful destination in itself. Visitors can ride the Ngong Ping 360 cable car to the Big Buddha statue and Po Lin Monastery, before taking a walk along Wisdom Path, a peaceful and spiritual trail featuring carved wooden pillars. For an authentic cultural experience, visitors can also explore nearby Tai O Fishing Village, with its distinctive stilt houses.
The mega-project is set to become an instant and iconic landmark for Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area and has already been named by The Guardian as an architectural Seven Wonder of the Modern World.
For more information on Hong Kong visit www.discoverhongkong.com/au or www.discoverhongkong.com/nz.
