HK-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge opens to traffic

An aerial view of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. At 55 kilometers, the bridge is the world's longest sea-spanning structure. [Photo/HZMB AUTHORITY]

First vehicles embark on journey envisioned for decades

ZHUHAI – The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge enters the history of human engineering and connection as a point of pride upon its opening to traffic at 9am Wednesday.

One day after President Xi Jinping announced its opening at a ceremony held in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, the bridge's ports in three different administrative regions started serving travelers around-the-clock, opening 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

To ensure faster boundary crossings for passengers, the Macao and Zhuhai ports jointly use a one-off immigration clearance model, allowing travelers to queue up only once to finish both exit and entry procedures of the two cities in about 30 seconds.

Apart from private cars, taxis and cargo vehicles, two types of public transportation -- shuttle bus and cross-boundary coach – can also run on the HZMB.

Shuttle buses only provide service between the ports of Hong Kong and Zhuhai, and between Hong Kong and Macao, without crossing any boundaries. The frequency is about 5-10 minutes during peak hours.

Advance online ticket booking for the shuttle bus has been available since 9 am on Tuesday.

With the bridge now in service, the traveling time between Zhuhai and Hong Kong International Airport will be shortened from four hours to 45 minutes, and the time between Zhuhai and Hong Kong's Container Terminals will be cut from 3.5 hours to 75 minutes.