Work on Pearl Delta Bridge Begins

Construction has begun on a bridge linking the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macao with the mainland city of Zhuhai.

The bridge will span close to 30 kilometers, and feature a six-lane expressway able to accommodate vehicle speeds of up to 100 kilometers per hour. Currently, traveling by car from Hong Kong to Zhuhai takes more than three hours. The bridge will cut driving time to just half an hour. The bridge will cost more than 72 billion yuan, or more than 10 billion US dollars. It is considered the largest ever in scale, as well as one using the most complex technology in the history of China's transport construction. The project is expected to be complete by 2015. Officials say the bridge should give a huge boost to the economy around the Pearl Delta region, especially its tourism industry.