The Macao Bridge officially opened this afternoon, following an inauguration ceremony attended by Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng. In his speech, Ho described the new bridge as a “splendid gift” complementing this year’s dual celebrations of the 75th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China and the 25th anniversary of the MSAR.
Coinciding with National Day, the event marked the end of more than four-and-a-half years of construction preparation works. The bridge opened to all vehicular traffic at 2 pm, and should see congestion easing on Macao’s roads.
The 3.1-kilometre, eight-lane structure is the fourth bridge connecting the Macao peninsula to Taipa. More specially, it links Urban Zone A and the Macao Port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge with Taipa’s Pac On area, making it the eastern-most of the city’s cross-sea bridges.
[See more: The Macau Bridge could stay open during typhoons]
At the inauguration, Ho thanked the central government for its support – along with everyone involved in the bridge’s construction. He said the bridge would enhance Macao’s overall transportation capability and complement the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.
On Sunday, around 21,000 residents took the opportunity to walk across the new bridge. Armed with umbrellas for shade and gifted water for hydration, they braved temperatures exceeding 33 degrees celsius to capture selfies on what will no doubt go down as a historic day.
The SAR’s residents named the Macao Bridge as part of a competition earlier in the year, putting forward monikers for the consideration of a selection committee. Other names to make the shortlist included New Urban Bridge, Silver Jubilee Bridge, Kiang Hoi (“Mirror Sea”) Bridge and Hou Kong (“Oyster River”) Bridge.
[See more: First steps on the new Macao Bridge]
Unlike the city’s other bridges, the Macao Bridge features wind protection barriers that should allow for the passage of traffic during typhoons, although authorities are still gathering further data before they approve the bridge’s operation during more severe weather. While there’s no pedestrian passage on the Macao Bridge, two of its eight lanes are reserved for motorcycles.
The decision to build the bridge was made in 2015 by the Macao government and approved by the central government in 2017. Construction began in March 2020, with the bridge initially scheduled to open in January this year. However, unforeseen obstacles like the Covid-19 pandemic and extreme weather caused delays, the Public Works Bureau has said.
The cost of the Macao Bridge has been reported as 5.27 billion patacas (US$653.92 million), and it was designed to last 100 years. Construction was carried out by China Civil Engineering Construction, the China Railway Construction Bridge Engineering Bureau Group and Aoma Construction Engineering.
