9 years after the start of construction, China is set to open the longest sea-crossing bridge in the world. The bridge which connects the city of Zhuhai to Hong Kong and Macau will be opened on 24th of October.

The opening ceremony of the 55km bridge will be attended by top officials from Hong Kong and Macau. Also in attendance is the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, who will officially open the bridge for public use.

The bridge is one of China’s plan to cover a Greater Bay Area of about 56,500 sq km across the southern region of China, including Macau and Hong Kong which home about 68 million people.

Speaking at a press briefing on Friday, 19th October, the city’s transport secretary, Frank Chan said;

With the Bridge, the travelling time between Hong Kong and the Western Pearl River Delta region will be shortened significantly, thereby bringing the Western Pearl River Delta region within three hours’ drive from Hong Kong. For instance, the travelling time between Zhuhai and Hong Kong International Airport is about four hours at present. It will be shortened to roughly about 45 minutes. Similarly, the travelling time between Zhuhai and Kwai Tsing Container Terminal will be shortened from 3.5 hours to only 75 minutes. 

News source: CNN