Hong Kong Macau Zhuhai is the longest sea-crossing bridge in the world. (Image: Getty)
Spanning an epic 34 miles in length, the in the world cost a staggering £15 billion to build and has been traversed by over 10 million vehicles since opening in 2018.
Designed to withstand earthquakes and typhoons, the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge (HZMB) was built using 400,000 tonnes of steel, enough to make 60 Eiffel Towers.
The bridge connects Hong Kong and Macau with Zhuhai, a major city on China’s Pearl River Delta, part of China’s plan to create a Greater Bay Area and boost the region’s economy.
It is both the longest sea crossing and the longest open-sea fixed link, with about 18.6 miles stretching over the Pearl River delta. One of its most impressive features has to be the tunnel which plunges undersea for 4.2 miles to allow ships through.
In the past, travelling between Zhuhai and Hong Kong would take up to four hours, but this bridge cut down travel time to just 30 minutes.
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The region is home to 68 million people. (Image: Getty)
The bridge was built using 400,000 tonnes of steel. (Image: Getty)
However, a special permit must be obtained just to cross it, and all vehicles have to pay a toll which, combined with high private vehicle ownership fees, means one of the most encouraged ways to cross it is by private shuttle buses.
Even though the area is home to 68 million people of Hong Kong, Macau and nine other southern China cities, only 10,000 permits were issued to drive across the bridge in the year running up to its opening.
Possibly one of the most unique features is its ‘yawn cams’ – yawn three times on the bridge and a special camera will alert the authorities.
Also, even though people drive on the left in Hong Kong and Macau, the bridge requires drivers to use crossing viaducts to switch lanes and drive on the right, like in Zhuhai and mainland china.
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One of the most common ways to cross the bridge is via private shuttle bus. (Image: Getty)
Travelling between Zhuhai and Hong Kong used to take four hours. (Image: Getty)
Construction didn’t come without devastation, and it was given the sinister nickname ‘bridge of death’ after officials confirmed at least 18 workers died on the project, and hundreds were injured.
Conservationists at WWF Hong Kong also attribute the construction to the falling number of white dolphins. Numbers dropped by 60 percent between April 2015 and March 2016 in the worst-hit area near Lantau.
Last year, 3.26 million vehicles passed through the Zhuhai port on the HZMB, 3.8 times that of 2019 according to CCTV.