Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge

Here at US/EU/MENA/APAC Infrastructure magazine headquarters, our jaws dropped when, last year, we read about plans for the Qatar-Bahrain Friendship Causeway, a 40km (24.8 mile) long marine causeway featuring a 22km (13.6 mile) bridge and 18km (11.1 mile) embankments connecting the west coast of Qatar to the east coast of Bahrain. However, that looks like old hat compared to China's plans to build a 48.2km (30 mile) bridge that will be able to handle earthquakes of magnitude 8.0, and withstand the impact of a 300,000-tonne vessel.

Whilst those facts are enough to raise the eyebrows, there is more...

The US$10.5 billion project is expected to take six years to complete and will be the longest sea bridge in the world, connecting China's southern economic hub of Guangdong province to Hong Kong and Macau.

Work has just begun on the originally-named Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge which, unsurprisingly, has been described as the most technically complicated landmark projects in China's, and the world's, transport history.

Why does it deserve this moniker? Well apart from the fact that it's 48km long, it will also include a tunnel section that travels underwater. So when it's finished in 2016, the world will have a multi-billion, six-lane expressway that is earthquake proof, partly underwater and capable of surviving being rammed by a large vessel. Impressive, no?

Growth, profit and dolphins

Of course, connecting the economic hot-spots of Macau and Hong Kong will only do good things to the country's economy as well as be a major tourist attraction, but it has its detractors.

Firstly, Hong Kong businesses are afraid that the bridge will mean that travellers head straight past the former Crown colony without stopping, damaging the city's economy.

Then there's the environmental concerns. Environmental groups are concerned because the bridge's construction will take place across the natural habitat of the endangered white dolphin. There are about 2000 white dolphins left in China, and more than half live in the Pearl River estuary. Due to its endangered status, the white dolphin is known as "the panda of the ocean" because of its slim survival chances.

To protect them, the city of Zhuhai has set aside a preserve of 180 square miles to help the animal while builders have vowed to stop pollution in the area.

The first phase of the project, which began this week, will see the creation of a large artificial island off Zhuhai, one of two islands being made in the ocean for the project. This island will become the customs point for people crossing to Macau using the bridge.

Images from SaveOurShorelines

Relevant articles:

World's longest marine causeway | Megaprojects of Asia | Megacities in Asia: Benefits or burdens?

 

Like this article? Get the RSS feed: