World's Longest Bridge Over Water to Open in 2018

After nine years of construction, the Hong Kong – Zhuhai – Macau Bridge is slated to open in 2018.

Designed as a pivotal land transport link between China’s two SAR cities, the bridge includes a dual three lane carriageway that spans 55km across the Pearl River Estuary, cutting driving time between the two cities down from four hours to just 30 minutes.

Starting from an artificial island near Hong Kong International Airport to the eastern shores of Macau, the bridge is a series of interconnecting bridges and tunnels, supported by small artificial islands.

Said to last 120 years, the project has included 400,000 tons of steel to build and 120 giant steel cylinders to support the sea tunnel which will enable over 4,000 ships a day to navigate around the bridge.

In order to protect marine life in the area, architects designed the bridge to ensure the ecosystem was not disrupted during and post construction, and natural river channels were not blocked.