More than 19,000 vehicles passed through the Zhuhai port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) on Monday, achieving a new daily record, the state-owned Xinhua news agency reported.
Official data from the bridge’s border inspection station showed that inbound and outbound traffic combined surpassed the previous daily record of 18,400, set on 31 March.
Various media outlets have reported on the bridge’s underutilisation in the past. There have also been controversies regarding the bridge’s cost and environmental impact.
[See more: Car journeys to mainland China via the HZMB are booming]
However, in early 2023, single-plated vehicles were allowed to cross into mainland China, leading to a notable rise in the number of vehicles using the bridge.
Single-plated vehicles are those registered in Macao or Hong Kong but not in mainland China. Data shows that more than 2 million such vehicles have now used the bridge to enter the mainland, generating a daily average usage so far this year of around 7,200.
The 55-kilometre bridge is the world’s longest bridge-and-tunnel sea crossing. It opened to the public in late 2018.
