Chinese open world's longest bridge of 55 kilometers – Investment worth USD 20 billion, construction took 9 years

Chinese President Xi Jinping has officially opened the 55-km bridge, the longest road sea crossing.

The bridge connects Hong Kong with Macau and Zhuhai, located in the southern province of Guangdong.

The construction took nine years and the costs amounted to around USD 20 billion.

A part of the route has the form of an undersea tunnel, allowing boats to pass through the Pearl River (Zhujiang) delta, the heart of the Chinese production sector.

Reuters writes that, with the opening of this bridge, which has a great economic and political significance, the time need to cross the Pearl River delta will be reduced from several hours to only 30 minutes.

This bridge is a physical connection with Hong Kong, Asia's financial center.

The structure consists of 55-km bridge and road sections and an underground tunnel. The bridge is 20 times longer than San Francisco's famous Golden Gate, says Hina, as reported by Novac.hr.

A total of 400,000 tons of steel is built into it (60 times more than in the Eiffel Tower), and two artificial islands are located on both ends of the undersea tunnel.

The bridge opens for traffic today, October 24, 2018. However, private cars will only be able to use it after applying for a special permit. The crossing will mostly be used by private shuttle buses and freight vehicles. The bridge is not served by public transport, the Guardian reports.

The construction of the bridge, which started in 2009, was marked by the breaking of deadlines, the exceeding of the budget, accusations of corruption and worker deaths. The authorities expect this structure to stimulate trade. However, those who oppose the project in Hong Kong see the bridge as Beijing's attempt to solidify its authority in the former British colony.

Xi Jinping

undersea tunnel

artificial island

longest bridge in the world

longest bridge

bridge from Hong Kong to Macau