TIME LINE 1983
Gordon Wu, chairman of Hopewell Holdings proposes the idea of a bridge connecting Hong Kong to the west side of the Pearl River Delta.
2002
First public signs of support for the project seen by Beijing.
August 2003 The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Advance Work Coordination Group is established.
April 2005
An expert panel organised by the National Development and Reform Commission agrees on the bridge’s three landing points at San Shek Wan in Hong Kong, Gongbei in Zhuhai and A Pérola (Areia Preta area) in Macau. The commission also recommends the northern bridge and tunnel alignment option.
February 2008
The three governments agree on the scope of the bridge’s main body and responsibility for construction, operation and maintenance of their own boundary crossing facilities and associated link roads.
August 2008
The three governments agree to share project costs according to a benefi t to cost ratio where Hong Kong will bear 50.2 percent of the cost, Guangdong 35.1 percent and Macau 14.7 percent. It is agreed that the total contributions will be RMB15.73 billion, about 42 percent of the project cost of the main bridge. The remaining 58 percent would be fi nanced by loans.
December 2008
The bridge’s feasibility study report is submitted to the central government for approval.
August 2009 The bridge’s budget is revised, almost doubling to RMB73 billion. Hong Kong agrees to pay RMB6.75 billion, the mainland to pay RMB7 billion and Macau to contribute RMB1.98 billion. A Bank of China-led consortium will provide the remaining 78 percent though loans.
December 2009 Construction begins.
OCTOBER 2010
43 According to Hou Ji Ming, from
Huafa Industrial, the group’s Huafa Century City development in Nan- ping is already attracting investors who expect
to cash-out on apart- ments once the bridge is built.
Built to last The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge is due to be completed in 2016. The bridge’s main body includes of a 29.6-km dual
construction
three-lane carriageway in the form of bridge and tunnel structure. The tunnel on the Hong Kong side of the delta will be about 6.7 km long. Two artifi cial islands for the tun-
nel landings west of the Hong Kong boundary and the construction of an artifi cial island off of Macau were also included in the project. Each territory is responsible for
the construction of the link roads to the main body of the bridge. Overall, the Y-shaped bridge will
have a total length of almost 50 km, of which about 35 km will be built over the sea. The speed limit will be set at 100 km per hour. The infrastructure will have a
life of 120 years and will be designed to withstand the impact of strong winds with speeds of up to 51 meters per second, or equal to a maximum Beaufort scale 16 (184 to 201 km per hour), according to Zhu Yongling, an offi cial in charge of project construc- tion.
The bridge is seen as strategical-
ly important for the further economic development of Hong Kong, Macau and the Western Pearl River Delta region and will signifi cantly reduce transportation time and costs.
Photo: Luís Almoster |
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