Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge

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Coordinates: 22 ° 16 ′ 57 ″  N , 113 ° 46 ′ 30 ″  E

Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge
港 珠澳 大橋
Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge 港 珠澳 大橋
West part of the main bridge, 2018
Official name Hong Kong – Zhuhai – Macao Bridge
use 6 tracks, G4 (Beijing-Hong Kong-Macau Highway) G94 (Pearl River Delta Ring Road) Route 8 (Hong Kong)
Crossing of Pearl River Delta ,
Jiuzhou Canal,
Lingding Canal
place Hong Kong , Macau , Zhuhai , China
China People's RepublicPeople's Republic of China 
construction Cable-stayed bridge
overall length 22.9 km - bridge
29.6 km - including tunnel
start of building Dec 2009
completion 27 Sep 2016 (bridge)
Jul 7, 2017 (tunnel)
opening 23 Oct 2018
toll free for all vehicles
location
Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (Hong Kong)
Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge
Beijing-Hong Kong-Macau Highway, Pearl River Delta Ring Highway
HZMB route.svg
Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge section
p1
Main part of the bridge - Macau to Shekou, March 2017
Eastern Tunnel Island near Hong Kong, May 2017
Sha Lo Wan Pile Foundation - Lantau Island, November 2013
Construction of the "Hong Kong Link" (HKLR) - in front of Lantau , June 2015

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge , or HZMB for short ( Chinese  港 珠澳 大橋  /  港 珠澳 大桥 , Pinyin Gǎng Zhū Ào Dàqiáo , Jyutping Gong 1 Zyu 1 Ou 3 Daai 6 kiu 4 ), is a road connection between Hong Kong , Zhuhai and Macau . The Chinese infrastructure project consists of several bridges, tunnels and artificial islands on the Pearl River Delta . Since its completion on November 14, 2017 and the opening to traffic on October 24, 2018, the bridge is considered the longest overwater bridge in the world. It replaced the previous record holder, the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge .

history

The foundation stone for the project was laid in December 2009. The initial cost was estimated at 73 billion renminbi (around 10.7 billion US dollars ). The opening was originally planned for the end of 2016. The bridge structure was completed on September 27, 2016. The submarine tunnel was completed on July 7, 2017. On September 28, 2018, a three-day test operation with a few dozen vehicles was started to check the functioning of the signaling technology and the customs facilities. The bridge had survived the foothills of Typhoon Mangkhut a few days earlier. The official opening ceremony took place in Zhuhai on October 23, 2018.

According to the administration of the Special Administrative Region in 2017, nine workers were killed in the course of the construction work on the Hong Kong side. According to estimates by Hong Kong opposition politicians, there could have been up to ten times more fatal accidents on the mainland China. Therefore, the project by the local workers in China is unofficially as "blood-and-tears Bridge" ( English "bridge of blood and tears" hereinafter).

As in mainland China, right-hand traffic is required on the entire bridge . In contrast, in Hong Kong there is left-hand traffic . Therefore, all vehicle owners or drivers generally need two different driving licenses that use the bridge or road transit traffic to mainland China. This currently applies to around 30,000 people, as the application for special driving licenses for citizens from the special administrative zones has so far been tied to special conditions. The bridge may not be usable for residents of the surrounding cities until after the end of the partial autonomy of Hong Kong and Macau in 2047.

History and technical data

The structure consists of several sections. All roads are laid out with three lanes in both directions. There is right-hand traffic on the entire route from Zhuhai; the change to the left-hand traffic in the special administrative zones Macau and Hong Kong takes place in the respective border crossing systems.

The following describes the systems from the west (Macau, Zhuhai) to the east (Hong Kong).

Border crossing systems to Macau and Zhuhai

On the west bank of the Pearl River there are border crossings on an artificial island for entry into the Macau Special Administrative Region and mainland China . The main bridge also begins here.

Main bridge and tunnel

The actual main bridge, 22.9 kilometers long, has its endpoints on two artificial islands newly created as part of the project. The artificial island to the west lies in front of Macau and belongs to the Gongbei sub-district of Zhuhai . The eastern artificial island was created in the middle of the Pearl River. Here the main bridge turns into a 6.7 kilometer long submarine tunnel, which emerges again on a third artificial island further east. The tunnel was composed of 100 m long sections. The main bridge and the tunnel (together 29.7 kilometers) were built under the direction of the People's Republic of China. The main waterways are also located in this section. The main shipping canal is located in the area of ​​the submarine tunnel. In addition, there are three more passages under three large cable-stayed bridges (Qingzhou Bridge, Jiuzhou Bridge and Jianghai Bridge).

Hong Kong Link Road

The section that was built under the direction of Hong Kong begins east of the tunnel. This section, the Hong Kong Link Road , has a total length of 12 kilometers. It consists of a 9.4 kilometer long overwater viaduct that runs through the strait between Chek Lap Kok Island with Hong Kong International Airport and Lantau Island and ends at Guanjinshan Hill on Chek Lap Kok. From there the 1 km long Guanjinshan tunnel leads to the east side of the airport island , which is followed by a 1.6 km long section of road at ground level to the border crossing facilities. For this last section of road, 20 hectares of land were raised on the east side of Chek Lap Kok.

Course of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge from Gongbei (mainland China) in the west to Lantau Island (Hong Kong) in the east, Hong Kong Highway Department 2018
Designations
English Chinese Pinyin Jyutping German
Hong Kong Link Road (HKLR) 香港 接線  /  香港 接线 Xiānggǎng Jiēxiàn Hoeng 1 gong 2 Zip 3 sin 2 Hong Kong connection
Scenic Hill 觀景 山  /  观景 山 Guānjǐng Shān Gun 1 went 2 Saan 1 Guanjinshan Hill
Scenic Hill Tunnel 觀景 山 隧道  /  观景 山 隧道 Guānjǐng Shān Suìdào Gun 1 went 2 Saan 1 Seoi 6 dou 6 Guanjinshan tunnel

Border crossing facility to Hong Kong

For the Hong Kong boundary crossing facilities ( 香港口岸建設 , English Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities , shortly HKBCF ) and the connection to the motorway Route 8 , a 130 hectare airport island Chek Lap Kok heaped large artificial island east.

Tuen Mun – Chek Lap Kok connection

The Tuen Mun-Chek Lap Kok connection ( 屯門 至 赤 鱲 角 連 路 , English Tuen Mun-Chek Lap Kok Link , TM-CLKL for short ) is a two-lane connecting road that connects the Hong Kong border crossing systems and Chek Lap Kok with the northwestern district of Tuen Mun in the New Territories and on the other hand with the southern island of Lantau. A five kilometer long submarine tunnel will be built for the north connection and a three and a half kilometer road connection (1.6 km over water, 1.9 km over land) for the south connection. The completion of the northern connection to the New Territories is only planned after the opening of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. The southern connection leads to the existing Route 8 freeway on Lantau Island . From there the city center is approx. 30 km away.

In the spring of 2020, the interior of the tunnel tubes will be completed with wall cladding and asphalting.

criticism

While the building was praised as a technical masterpiece in the state media of the People's Republic of China, there was widespread criticism in Hong Kong. Even according to the most optimistic assumptions, the construction costs of the bridge will by no means be amortized within the next few decades. In the opinion of many Hong Kong residents, the money could therefore have been better invested, especially in improving the housing situation in Hong Kong, which has long been extremely tense. Hong Kong is considered by many rankings to be the most expensive real estate market in the world. Many Hong Kong residents also distrust the Beijing government and see the bridge project, including the creation of artificial islands on which large residential areas are to be built, in which many immigrants from southern China will likely live, as a subtle attempt by the Beijing leadership to move Hong Kong closer and closer to the rest of the city To align China and ultimately also to undermine its special rights.

Web links

Commons : Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge  - Collection of Pictures, Videos, and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Building For Future - HZMB Main Bridge: (Chinese, English) [1] , In: www.hyd.gov.hk, accessed March 19, 2019 - Online
  2. ↑ a b Main structure of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge is completed. China Daily, July 7, 2017, accessed October 24, 2018 .
  3. ^ Highways Department. January 4, 2014, accessed January 4, 2014 .
  4. ↑ Li Xianzhi: China begins construction of world's longest cross-sea bridge linking mainland, HK, Macao. In: www.xinhuanet.com. Xinhua , December 15, 2009; archived from the original on January 22, 2011 ; accessed on October 29, 2011 (English).
  5. ↑ Danny Mok: Bridge delayed: Hong Kong-Macau link meant to slash travel time will miss 2016 deadline. In: South China Morning Post . November 26, 2015, accessed November 26, 2015 .
  6. ↑ World's longest cross-sea bridge completed on: China Radio International, September 27, 2016, accessed on September 28, 2016
  7. ↑ Longest pier in the world opens orf.at, September 29, 2018, accessed September 29, 2018.
  8. ↑ https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy/Economy/Hong-Kong-Zhuhai-Macau-Bridge-construction-set-to-finish-this-year
  9. ^ Matthias Müller: Hong Kong and Macau are moving closer to the Chinese mainland. In: nzz.ch. July 1, 2017, accessed April 30, 2020 .
  10. ↑ Gov't 'regrets' fatalities at Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge project, as workers demand halt to 'murders' from: Hong Kong Free Press, April 12, 2017, accessed September 30, 2018
  11. ^ Right side of road the only way to travel on Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge . In: South China Morning Post , February 13, 2018. 
  12. ↑ Sha Hua: Billion Bridge in China: A 55-kilometer "white elephant" . In: Handelsblatt . December 3, 2017 ( handelsblatt.com [accessed February 28, 2018]).
  13. ↑ Main Bridge. Retrieved October 24, 2018 .
  14. ↑ HZMB Main Bridge. hzmb.hk, accessed on October 24, 2018 (English).
  15. ↑ Hong Kong Link Road. Hong Kong Transportation and Housing Authority, accessed October 24, 2018 .
  16. ↑ Hong Kong Link Road. In: http://www.hzmb.hk/ . Government of Hong Kong SAR, Highway Department, accessed January 4, 2014 .
  17. ↑ 香港 接線 觀景 山 隧道 鑽 爆 段 成功 貫通 / SUCESSFUL BREAKTHROUGH OF THE DRILL AND BLAST SECTION OF THE HONG KONG LINK ROAD'S SCENIC HILL TUNNEL. (pdf) Hong Kong Roads Administration, May 2015, accessed October 24, 2018 (English, Chinese (traditional), Newsletter 5).
  18. ↑ a b Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities (HKBCF). Government of Hong Kong SAR, Highways Department, accessed October 24, 2018 .
  19. ↑ Tuen Mun - Chek Lap Kok Link. hzmb.hk, accessed on October 24, 2018 (English).
  20. ↑ Tuen Mun - Chek Lap Kok Link. Government of Hong Kong SAR, Highway Department, accessed January 4, 2014 .
  21. ↑ Living on 15 square meters. Handelsblatt, June 25, 2017, accessed on October 23, 2018 .
  22. ↑ Hong Kong protesters decry plans for artificial islands. Deutsche Welle, October 14, 2018, accessed on December 23, 2018 (English).
  23. ^ Lily Kuo: World's longest sea bridge to open ... but only to drivers with a special permit. The Guardian, October 22, 2018, accessed October 22, 2018 .