Economy
Construction of HK-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge begins Dec 15
By Zhao Chunzhe (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-12-14 15:06
The ceremony marking the start of construction on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge will be on December 15, according to the administration's website.
Donald Tsang, the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), will witness the start along with officials from China's central governments, Chief Executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region, Macao's NPC and CPPCC members as well as the region's government officials and industrial representatives.
The State Council announced the approval of the "research report of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge" on October 28 during an executive meeting chaired by Premier Wen Jiabao.
The project is estimated to cost more than 72 billion yuan ($10.5 billion), and is slated to be finished in 2015. The series of bridges, tunnels and roads will rival the longest bridges in the world and is designed to better connect Hong Kong with Macao and the Mainland.
The project includes the bridge (29.6 km), the tunnel (6 km), the Hong Kong port, Zhuhai port, Macao port, along with work on the connections in Hong Kong and Zhuhai. Once the work is completed it will shorten the Hong Kong-Zhuhai trip from three hours to half an hour and the Hong Kong-Macao trip from three hours to one hour.
The bridge is designed to withstand earthquakes as strong as 8.0 on the Richter scale and last 120 years, the report said.
Construction of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge to begin
