The World’s longest sea bridge, connecting mainland China to Hong Kong and Macau has officially opened this week. The six-lane bridge has been constructed in just nine years.
The 55-kilometer long bridge (34 miles) will cut travel time from Hong Kong to Zhuhai (in China’s southern Guangdong province) from three hours to 30 minutes!
The long-awaited bridge will encompass 11 cities that are home to a combined 68 million people.
The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge was built to withstand magnitude 8 earthquakes, a super typhoon and strikes by super-sized cargo vessels. It incorporates 400,000 tons of steel which is 4.5 times more than in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge.
The bridge includes a 6.7-kilometer submerged tunnel to help it avoid the busy shipping lanes over the Pearl River Delta. The tunnel runs between two artificial islands.
Although the bridge is opening to traffic this week, private cars will need a special permit to be allowed to drive on the bridge. Most drivers will have to park at the Hong Kong port, switching to shuttle bus or special hire cars. A single trip on shuttle buses will cost $8-$10, depending on the time of day.
The USA spends 700 billion every year on the military and has little to show for it. China spends 20 Billion and has an impressive asset that will provide benefits for years. So called democratic capitalism has been a failure in the USA.
The Chinese version of capitalism looks to get much better results.
RT.com / ABC Flash Point News 2018.
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