The Civil Engineering Contractor July 2018 | Page 11

WORLD NEWS
China unveils the world’s largest bridge — an engineering masterpiece.
China has unveiled its latest infrastructural marvel: spanning
55km, a long snake of bitumen called the Hong Kong–
Zhuhai–Macau Bridge is the longest sea-crossing bridge ever
built. Working miles from land and high above the water,
construction conditions were tough. The bridge is due to open
within a couple of months and was first conceived of in 2003.
Construction commenced in December 2009.
It is considered an engineering wonder. The massive span of
concrete and steel is proof of China’s ability to build record-
setting megastructures. Cars will have to switch driving lanes
along the route: they will drive on the right along the Chinese
sections of the bridge, switching to the left in Hong Kong and
Macau, to match the driving styles in each city.
The main construction work has been completed and driving
trials are underway, although the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau
Bridge is not yet open to the public. The bridge runs alongside
Hong Kong’s international airport — the busiest cargo airport
in the world, and a key reason for constructing the bridge is to
facilitate the export of goods from local factories.
These are located on the west side of the Pearl River Delta,
and the bridge will cut trip times between the three cities
from three hours to 30 minutes and is expected to boost
connectivity and tourism in the region.
The Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge is a core pillar of
China’s master plan to develop its own Greater Bay Area
— one which it hopes will in time rival the bay areas of San
Francisco, Sydney, New York, and Tokyo in terms of cohesion
and economic success. The official vision is that greater
regional integration will drive economic growth.
The Greater Bay Area in central southern China covers
56 500km 2 and is home to an estimated 68-million people,
encompassing 11 cities — including Zhuhai, Hong Kong,
and Macau in Guangdong province. The region is vibrant and
economically productive. It takes up less than one per cent
of China’s land area and five per cent of its population, but
produces 12% of China’s GDP. When compared to countries
around the world, the Greater Bay Area already has the 11th
largest economy.
CEC July 2018 - 11