Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge

Carries	Motor vehicles
Crosses	Pearl River Estuary Lingding Channel Jiuzhou Channel
Locale	Pearl River Delta
Website	(Chinese site) (Hong Kong site) (Macau site)
Characteristics
Design	Bridge–tunnel system
Total length	55 kilometres (34 mi)
History
Construction begin	15 December 2009
Construction end	6 February 2018
Construction cost	¥126.9 billion ($126.9 billion)
Opened	24 October 2018, 9 A.M. UTC+8

Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge

Map of the bridge highway and the undersea tunnel (dotted) route of the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge, between Hong Kong and Macau.

Chinese name

Traditional Chinese

港珠澳大橋

Simplified Chinese

港珠澳大桥

Jyutping

Gong2zyu1ou3 Daai6kiu4

Hanyu Pinyin

Gǎngzhū'ào Dàqiáo

Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Gǎngzhū'ào Dàqiáo
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanization	Góngjyūou Daaihkìuh
Jyutping	Gong2zyu1ou3 Daai6kiu4

Portuguese name

Portuguese

Ponte Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau

The Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge (often called the HZMB) is a huge set of bridges and tunnels. It crosses the Pearl River Delta in China. This amazing structure is about 55 kilometres (34 mi) long. It connects Hong Kong, Zhuhai, and Macau.

The HZMB is made up of three main bridges, one long tunnel, and four artificial islands. It is known as the longest sea crossing in the world! The bridge crosses two important sea channels: the Lingdingyang and Jiuzhouyang.

Engineers designed the bridge to last for 120 years. Building it cost around 126.9 billion yuan (which is about $18.77 billion USD). The governments of mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau, along with several banks, helped pay for this massive project. The bridge officially opened on October 24, 2018.

Planning the Bridge
- Early Ideas for the Sea Crossing
- Government Support and Challenges
Building the Bridge
- Sections of the Bridge
Environmental Concerns
- Protecting Dolphins
Images for kids
See also

Planning the Bridge

Early Ideas for the Sea Crossing

The idea for a bridge and tunnel connecting China, Hong Kong, and Macau came from Gordon Wu. He was the founder of a company called Hopewell Holdings. He first thought of this idea way back in 1983. He got the inspiration from another famous bridge-tunnel system, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge–Tunnel.

In 1988, Mr. Wu shared his plans with the governments in Guangzhou and Beijing. His first idea for the bridge was a bit different from what was built. He imagined it starting further north, near Tuen Mun, Hong Kong. It would then cross the Pearl River and pass through some islands.

Government Support and Challenges

The government of Zhuhai really liked the idea and helped promote it. They even called it the Lingdingyang Bridge. In the 1990s, Zhuhai started building a bridge that was meant to be the first part of this big project. However, the Hong Kong government was careful. They wanted to study how the bridge would affect traffic and the environment.

To make sure everything went smoothly, a special group was formed in 2003. This group included people from the governments of Zhuhai, Macau, and Hong Kong. They worked together to plan the bridge, figure out border checks, and decide how to pay for it.

In 2009, the governments of China, Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau agreed to pay for 22% of the bridge's cost. The remaining 78% was paid for by many banks, including the Bank of China.

Building the Bridge

The Hong Kong section of the bridge being built in 2015, near Lantau Island.

Construction of the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge began on December 15, 2009, in China. A special ceremony was held by Li Keqiang to mark the start. Building the Hong Kong section began a bit later, in 2011. This was because some people had concerns about the project.

The last bridge tower was put into place on July 12, 2016. The entire tunnel and bridge structure was completed by the middle of 2017. The whole project was officially finished in February 2018.

Sections of the Bridge

The entire HZMB is divided into three main parts:

The Main Bridge: This is the longest part, about 29.6 kilometres (18.4 mi) long. It sits in the middle of the Pearl River. Mainland China managed its construction.
The Hong Kong Link Road: This section is about 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) long and is close to Hong Kong.
The Zhuhai Link Road: This part is about 13.4 kilometres (8.3 mi) long and is near Zhuhai.

Environmental Concerns

Protecting Dolphins

Many environmental groups were worried about the bridge's impact on Chinese white dolphins. These dolphins live in the Pearl River Delta. They are an endangered animal. Environmentalists said that building the bridge would harm the dolphins' habitat. In the ten years before the bridge opened, the number of these dolphins dropped by more than 80%.