The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Is the Longest Sea-Crossing Bridge in the World

On October 23, 2018, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, or HZMB for short, was officially inaugurated, linking the People's Republic of China with its two Special Administrative Regions, Hong Kong and Macau. With a total length of 55 kilometers (34 miles) it spans the entire width of the Pearl River Delta, making it the longest sea-crossing bridge in the world.

Consisting of two bridges and a tunnel, this joint venture between China, Macau S.A.R., and Hong Kong S.A.R. took just over eight years to build and cost approximately 127 billion renminbi (18.8 billion US dollars).

The longest section, a 22.9-kilometer (14.2-mile) bridge, was constructed by Chinese authorities and connects Macau to a 6.7-kilometer (4.2-mile) tunnel running between two artificial islands named Blue Dolphin Island and White Dolphin Island.

A 9.4-kilometer (5.8-mile) bridge connecting White Dolphin Island to Chek Lap Kok was also built and is managed by the Hong Kong government.

Interestingly, although the cities at either end of the HZMB, Macau and Hong Kong, both drive on the left side of the road, the bridge itself follows right-hand traffic laws, in accordance with Chinese regulations, since the longest section of the bridge is technically located in Zhuhai.