The Macau government announced Wednesday that Macau permanent residents who are gainfully employed or running a company in Hong Kong can apply for a permit to drive their cars into the neighbouring city via the Hong-Kong-Zhuhai-Macau (HKZM) Bridge – colloquially known as delta bridge.
The mega-bridge is widely expected to open to traffic later this year. Its opening date is yet to be announced by the central government.
According to an announcement published in the Official Gazette (BO) yesterday, the local government will issue 600 permits for Macau-registered cars to travel to and from Hong Kong via the delta bridge under a regular quota initiative. Among the 600 permits valid for one year, 300 will be for individual applicants while the other 300 will be for Macau-registered companies.
Meanwhile the Chief Executive, Chui Sai On, said the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HKZMB) was an example of the country’s advanced capability in building key, large-scale, infrastructure.
During a visit on Tuesday to the Bridge, Chui also said it would contribute to the effort of pressing ahead with the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area.
The bridge, as the first infrastructure project developed jointly by the Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macau authorities under the “One country, two systems” principle, would also facilitate sustainable socio-economic development in the three places, he said.
During the visit, Chui was briefed by officials of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Authority on the challenges of building the Bridge. He was also briefed about how the Bridge would be able to withstand the typhoons that frequently affect the area; how the bridge accommodates the flow of the water channels below it; and how its builders had addressed environmental issues.
The visit started from a toll plaza at the Zhuhai boundary crossing facilities, and ended at an artificial island located immediately to the west of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region boundary.
During the car journey eastward in the direction of Hong Kong, Chui had a chance to see the part of the Bridge that spans the Qingzhou Channel – known as the Qingzhou Channel Bridge, according to a government statement. The steel towers of that part of the project are designed to resemble the shapes of traditional Chinese knots.
During his journey Chui also passed over another artificial island of the Bridge, connected to the westernmost one via an undersea tunnel.
