Macau bridge to Hong Kong is underway
The construction of a 12-kilometer bridge to connect Macau with Hong Kong is considered a priority.
Macau.- The construction of a 12-kilometer segment of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB) to connect Macau with Hong Kong is afoot, as part of a set of overland links intended to boost economic gains amid ailing gambling revenues in the gaming hub.
The mega infrastructure project will cost 38.1-billion Yuan (US$5.85 billion) and it will connect Macau to Hong Kong and Zhuhai, also including the artificial Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities Island (HKBCF.) According to the Highways Department of Hong Kong, the construction of the bridge is a top priority to “establish a new land transport link between the east and west coasts of the Pearl River, sprouting economic and sustainable development in the three places.”
The project is scheduled to be completed by December 2017, however, engineers claim such deadline is unfeasible due to a series of issues with the US$7-billion artificial island, including parts of it sinking up to seven meters.
The bridge also faces opposition as Hong Kong residents have voiced discontent with the expensive mega infrastructure development, calling it a financially wasteful ‘white elephant’ project without much benefit to Hong Kong and possibly increasing traffic congestion on roads already crowded by the 7.1-million inhabitants of the urban centre.
Other infrastructure projects flagged as a priority by the Macau government includes a rail system, a wastewater plant and connectivity between Macau’s Taipa Island and the mainland’s Guangdong province.
“We must wholeheartedly promote the diversification of the Macao economy and improve the livelihood and welfare of the people,” said Macau’s government during the 13th Five-Year Plan for 2016-2020 presentation.
