Seabed tunnel for HK-Zhuhai-Macau bridge gets green light

By Qiu Quanlin (皇冠体育app Daily)
Updated: 2009-04-09 09:54

GUANGZHOU: Plans for a harbor tunnel under the South 皇冠体育app Sea have been approved, paving the way for the construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge.

The 6.7-km tunnel will cost 21.1 billion yuan ($3 billion) and will run 40-m below sea level so it does not interfere with shipping traffic.

Its approval means construction can begin on a 29.6km bridge that will run above the tunnel and connect three major cities in the Pearl River Delta region.

A statement released yesterday said building of the bridge would begin by the end of the year. The six-lane bridge is estimated to cost up to 72.6 billion yuan and will have a speed limit of 100-kmph per hour.

Two artificial islands will connect the tunnel and bridge at either side.

Zhang Xigang, general manager of the 皇冠体育app Communications Construction Highway Consultants, responsible for the preliminary design of the bridge, said: "We give the utmost importance to sea environmental protection, especially protection of the white Chinese dolphins."

Hong Kong highway authorities said an environmental impact assessment would be completed in the coming months.