San Shek Wan top choice for mega bridge's landing point
Dennis Chong, Hong Kong Standard
January 12, 2005

Map (http://www.etwb.gov.hk/FileManager/EN/whats_new/Whats%20New%20PWSC%20Encl%202.jpg)

San Shek Wan on Lantau Island is the best starting point for a proposed bridge linking Hong Kong with Zhuhai and Macau, Chief Secretary for Administration Donald Tsang said.

"Our feasibility study shows that San Shek Wan is the only place in terms of environmental protection and economic effectiveness," Tsang said.

"It is also compatible with the long-term development of Hong Kong," he said, adding that the final route and the landing points in Hong Kong, Macau and Zhuhai for the bridge - which is expected to cost around HK$15 billion by the time it is finished - have yet to be decided.

San Shek Wan lies immediately south of Hong Kong International Airport.

Tsang was speaking after the fourth Working Meeting of Hong Kong and Guangdong Cooperation Joint Conference in Guangzhou.

Tang Bingquan, executive vice-governor of Guangdong province who co-chaired the meeting with Tsang, said there were several construction issues that needed resolving.

"One major concern is the environment with many people expressing concern about the Chinese white dolphin which lives in these waters," he said.

Green groups have criticised the government for not allocating funds to research the impact of the bridge on the endangered dolphins.

Tang said a committee set up to plan the bridge has shortlisted two routes but he refused to reveal further details, adding that a final decision will be made soon. The super bridge is expected to handle about 20,000 vehicles each day and will be the fifth cross-boundary link between the mainland and the SAR once it is built.

About 12 kilometers of the bridge will be in Hong Kong waters.

This section will connect to the 30-kilometer portion in mainland waters across the mouth of the Pearl River from Macau and Zhuhai.

Hopewell Holdings chairman Gordon Wu, one of the strongest supporters of the proposal, said earlier the bridge is likely to be completed by 2008.

I think I've seen renderings for the bridge, but I don't remember where...

And I think in the renderings, the bridge is going to be made up of mostly dull causeway spans. Kinda disappointing, I say if you're going to build a bridge that long, design something resembling the Gibraltar Strait Bridge or bury the bloody thing in a tunnel! :)

http://idol.union.edu/~ferrerf/project/image011.jpg

Very cool Hkskyline! :)

a very big bridge

this project holds great potential long-term for pearl river delta further unification...

:cool:

The bridge does a lot for all the cities involved. For Macau, it provides a new source for tourists and encourage regional tourism. Visitors to Hong Kong can easily take a bus to Macau for some gambling. For Hong Kong, Macau's airport will become a major competitor, but at the same time, goods from the western Pearl River Delta (ie. Zhuhai and beyond) can now easily reach Hong Kong for export, benefiting the container port.

Do you have renders of this bridge project?

Well, this is going to be one "HUGE" bridge !

anybody have more pics? It is useful for my project~^_<

The only renders that I saw were on the TVB news and It was like a causeway, which I detest so much. I rather have them build a Gibraltar Bridge there.

http://www.warringstates.com.hk/images/bridge02.jpg

Hopewell Holdings chairman Gordon Wu, one of the strongest supporters of the proposal, said earlier the bridge is likely to be completed by 2008.

Is this a joke?
that would be impossible by 2008!!
maybe in 2020

How they want to build about 40-50x 800m high towers for the mega bridge?
From where i've the information?
A good friend of me is an Architecture and interessted on bridges and he tolt me some details about it.

And from where do they want to get the steels for the mega bridge?

Here's a rendering taken from Time Magazine www.time.com

http://a740.g.akamai.net/f/740/606/1d/image.pathfinder.com/time/asia/covers/501040705/popup/images/bridge.jpg

And these are taken from www.saveourshoreline.com

http://www.saveourshorelines.bizland.com/images/News_bigbridgegraphic29_07b.jpg

The website itself also has a bunch of articles pertaining to the bridge (looks like they're all from 2003 though):

http://www.saveourshorelines.bizland.com/project03.html

Enjoy!

interesting to note where the main navigation channel(s) are for the PRD...

I don't like that design because it will just be a causeway and look ugly

its in a tpyoon area, it better be well designed or else...

Open tender best option for bridge project
Chloe Lai and Quinton Chan
03 February 2005
South China Morning Post

An open tender would be the best and fairest way to determine the most qualified contractor for the proposed bridge linking Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macau, according to Hopewell chairman Sir Gordon Wu Ying-sheung, one of the project's foremost advocates.

He said the tender process would be fair as it involves three governments.

"It will be difficult for anyone to manipulate a process which involves three governments. If I lose, it must be because they get someone smarter than me. If that is the case, I have no hard feelings," he said.

Sir Gordon has been advocating the bridge since the late 1990s. He believes he will win the contract because of his knowledge of highway bridge construction and operation.

He said that some engineers from the National Development and Reform Commission visited him last week to seek his views on the bridge and he told them that an open tender had to be conducted.

He is in favour of a single Y-shaped bridge built between Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macau.

He said the bridge's Hong Kong entrance would be at San Shek Wan on Lantau and its Zhuhai entrance would be near the Gongbei checkpoint. Its Macau entrance would be at Perola on the northeast side of the Macau peninsula.

In July 2003, Premier Wen Jiabao gave his backing to a bridge between Hong Kong and the west side of the Pearl River Delta.

Sir Gordon estimates the State Council will approve the project to start in six months, with completion in 2009 to mark Macau's 10th handover anniversary.

Under his proposal, only one checkpoint would be needed for cross-border drivers. All immigration officers would be based there together.

He also proposes to turn part of the bridge into a tunnel so it will be safe from typhoons and terrorist attacks.

"With the bridge and the existing roads in Guangxi , it will take just eight hours for Hong Kong people to reach Vietnam by car," Sir Gordon said.

^ Only 8 hours to go to Vietnam!!!! That's Amazing, so does it mean that a person from HK can drive like around 10 Hours to go to Hanoi?

I have a question. Do people in Macau or Zhuhai drive on the left? Right now most cars from Hong Kong cannot drive past the city of Shenzhen because Hong Kong drive on the left and China drive on the right. So in the city of Shenzhen you can actualy see two types of cars and sometimes it is quite confusing. I wonder if the same thing will happen to Macau?

http://resources.emb.gov.hk/envir-ed/hkissue/images/taxi.jpg

Macau drives on the left, Zhuhai on the right...
Most cars can't pass thru the border because they don't have the licence for the car.

In Hong Kong, I can see some cars with 2 licences (mainland and hk). They should be able to go across the border. For Macau, I don't know if we need a third one XDDD.

Well, at least for now, we can visit Macau just on our HK Identity card and don't need anything else, its just an hour comfortable ferry ride, very convenient.

／( ^｡^)／ GOOD ＼(^｡^)＼

wowow

really great project, and this kind of bridge is really becaming more commum (bridge/tunnel).

:okay:

Is the channel wide enough for the amount of sea traffic.

Is the channel wide enough for the amount of sea traffic.

Plans are indicative only. Subject to change. The Pearl River Delta is one of (if the busiest) seaway in the world, and any plan to build such a project must do so with the least possible impact on shipping.

And the channel is wide enough, but remember that 12 kilometres or so is tunnel.

China going ahead with huge bridge to HK, Macau

BEIJING, March 8 (Reuters) - China has given the green light to link Hong Kong to Macau and the mainland with a multi-billion-dollar road bridge, the China Daily said on Tuesday.

Promoters of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge have proposed an enormous structure stretching 29 km (18 miles).

The newspaper said it would directly connect Hong Kong and Macau to booming ports in southern China's Pearl River Delta region. Private investment would be allowed to have a "primary role" in funding the 31.5 billion yuan ($3.8 billion) project.

"We are going to make a big breakthrough in infrastructure cooperation between Hong Kong and the mainland," Ma Kai, head of the National Development and Reform Commission, was quoted as saying during the ongoing session of China's parliament.

Ma said government leaders had approved the bridge during talks with Tung Chee-hwa, Hong Kong's chief executive rumoured to be ready to quit his post.

Authorities in Hong Kong, Macau and the southern Chinese city Guangdong had all agreed to let the private sector put up much of the funding for the over-water highway, Sarah Liao, secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works of Hong Kong, was quoted as saying.

The bridge would halve the current 60 km (37 mile) trip from Hong Kong to Macau or the major southern port of Zhuhai to make travel possible in less than half an hour, the newspaper said.

Ma said a feasibilty report on the bridge had been completed but did not specify when construction would begin. Since China and Hong Kong signed a Closer Economic Partnership Agreement, Hong Kong's exports to the mainland have grown, fueled by reduced tariffs and easier transport.

"The bridge will promote the socio-economic development of Pearl River West (region), promote the development of tourism industries and perfect the regional transport network," Liao was quoted as saying. ($1=8.276 yuan).

HK --> Macau in less than 1/2 an hour...


:D

wow! I think the design is awesome! VERY HUGE!
like the under water tunnel which will allow big ships to easily pass through!
niiice

Macau drives on the left, Zhuhai on the right...
Most cars can't pass thru the border because they don't have the licence for the car.

In Hong Kong, I can see some cars with 2 licences (mainland and hk). They should be able to go across the border. For Macau, I don't know if we need a third one XDDD.

Well, at least for now, we can visit Macau just on our HK Identity card and don't need anything else, its just an hour comfortable ferry ride, very convenient.
For macau, they do the exact same thing as Hong Kong. if u wanna drive in mainland china, u hv to apply for a Chinese licences.

and remember when HK start building the airport, ppl said is not going to be completed by 2010, but guest wt, it opens in 1998....

Wu's bridge not too far as Ho, Sun Hung Kai sign up
Cannix Yau, Hong Kong Standard
March 21, 2005

Hopewell Holdings' Gordon Wu, a foremost advocate of a mega-bridge linking Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macau, will team up with Sun Hung Kai Properties and casino tycoon Stanley Ho's Shun Tak Holdings to bid for the HK$30 billion project when an open tender is called in a few months' time, a source close to the deal said.

The three conglomerates will form a joint venture with a state-owned company under the Transport Bureau of Guangdong Province to bid for the project with financing support from the Bank of China, the source said.

The amount of financing is still unknown.

Mainland authorities have ann-ounced the project's feasibility study, which began early last year, is finished and its construction plan will be finalized after a final meeting in April by the three governments.

After the final plan is approved by the State Council, the project is expected to be opened for bids in a few months.

Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works Sarah Liao said the private sector will play a primary role in constructing the bridge under a build-operate-transfer plan, which will cost about 31.5 billion yuan (HK$29.7 billion).

According to Minister of National Development and Reform Commission Ma Kai, Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong have entered into a consensus allowing the private sector to fund the giant project.

San Shek Wan, a remote village on the relatively unspoilt northwest coast of Lantau, adjacent to Hong Kong International Airport, will be the starting point for the bridge which will be built in a single ``Y'' shape, with each forked end joining Macau and Zhuhai.

The super bridge is expected to handle about 20,000 vehicles a day and will be the fifth border crossing between the mainland and the SAR.

About 12 kilometers of the bridge will be in Hong Kong waters. This section will connect to the 30-kilometer portion in mainland waters across the mouth of the Pearl River from Macau and Zhuhai.

It will shorten the distance from Hong Kong to Macau and Zhuhai to 30 kilometers, and reduce the journey time to well within half an hour. The current distance from Hong Kong to Macau and Zhuhai is about 60 kilometers.

The project is expected to be completed by 2009.

Wu, who launched a concerted campaign two years ago to develop the bridge, has expressed confidence he will win the bid.

Hopewell's plans show a combined tunnel and bridge similar to the Chesapeake Bay bridge in the United States or the Tokyo Bay bridge in Japan. The proposed bridge is not without its critics, however, who claim that it will be a blight on Lantau where traffic will substantially worsen the already heavy air pollution in Tung Chung and other areas along the island's northern shore.

Other critics question the economics of building such an expensive piece of infrastructure in the relatively lightly populated western region of the Pearl River Delta.

They fear it will become another expensive white elephant in a region that already enjoys modern but greatly under-utilized transport infrastructure.

The parties most likely to profit from the project are the developers, the critics say.

Private sector eyed for delta bridge
Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong could set up a corporation to solicit tenders for building the link to Zhuhai
Elaine Wu and Gary Cheung
21 March 2005
South China Morning Post

Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong are likely to form a corporation to solicit tenders from the private sector to build the proposed bridge linking Zhuhai and the two special administrative regions.

A Hong Kong government source said a public-private partnership model would probably be adopted for the construction and operation of the proposed bridge. "One possibility is for the three governments to form a corporation which then solicits for a bid from the private sector to build the project," the source said.

The source said the government was considering building as few of the bridge's foundations as possible close to the Hong Kong coast to minimise any adverse impact on the Chinese white dolphins and their natural habitat.

The China Daily reported early this month that a feasibility report had been completed for the project, which is estimated to cost US$3.8 billion. No date was given for when construction of the link would begin.

The newspaper quoted Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works Sarah Liao Sau-tung as saying that the private sector would fund the bridge.

Meanwhile, former Zhuhai party secretary Liang Guangda said he hoped construction of the cross-delta bridge could start next year.

"I'm confident that the bridge would be completed by 2008, a year before the 10th anniversary of the resumption of Macau's sovereignty by the motherland," he told the South China Morning Post.

Mr Liang spearheaded the Lingdingyang bridge proposal, which envisaged linking Zhuhai and Tuen Mun, from 1988 until the project was shelved in 1997.

"I have been longing for the completion of the bridge for 19 years," he said.

Mr Liang said the cross-delta bridge should land at Hengqin island , an outlying Zhuhai island west of Macau.

He said Hengqin was linked with several national highway networks, including the coastal highway from Heilongjiang to Hainan and the Taiyuan-Macau superhighway.

Zhuhai and Guangdong officials have said also that they would prefer the bridge to extend to Hengqin Island.

But the Hong Kong government, which has proposed starting the bridge at Sha Lo Wan or San Shek Wan in Lantau, favours a bridge landing at the Gongbei crossing between Zhuhai and Macau.

"If the bridge lands at Gongbei, it would bring a huge flow of people and traffic to Gongbei which is already the country's second busiest land crossing," Mr Liang said.

Mr Liang, also a Guangdong deputy to the National People's Congress, said drivers would only have to travel a few extra kilometres from Hengqin to cities north of Zhuhai, compared with a landing at Gongbei. But he said he would support whatever landing point was chosen by experts responsible for a feasibility study on the cross-delta bridge, commissioned by a nine-member taskforce of representatives from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau.

Macau drives on the left, Zhuhai on the right...
Most cars can't pass thru the border because they don't have the licence for the car.

In Hong Kong, I can see some cars with 2 licences (mainland and hk). They should be able to go across the border. For Macau, I don't know if we need a third one XDDD.

Well, at least for now, we can visit Macau just on our HK Identity card and don't need anything else, its just an hour comfortable ferry ride, very convenient.

Wait a minute, Macau drives on the left (like in China, continental Europe, and North America) while Zhuhai drives on the right (like in HK, Britain, Japan)? That's really weird and messed up. I always thought Zhuhai would drive the same way China would seeing how is FULLY is part of the PRC.

Landing sites agreed for cross-delta bridge link
Chandra Wong
03 April 2005
South China Morning Post

Hong Kong and mainland officials and experts have agreed on the landing sites for the proposed Pearl River Delta bridge linking Hong Kong, Macau and Zhuhai - Gongbei in Zhuhai and Perola in Macau.

Their recommendation, which will now be forwarded to the State Council for approval, is sure to please the Hong Kong side. It had advocated the Gongbei-Perola routes, while the Zhuhai and Guangdong authorities wanted landfalls on Hengqin Island in Zhuhai and at Pac On in Macau.

Hong Kong Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works Sarah Liao Sau-tung said the decision was the consensus view of the 100-strong group, which met for two days behind closed doors in Zhuhai.

The group comprised officials and experts from Hong Kong, Beijing, Guangdong and Macau.

The recommended single Y-shaped bridge-tunnel link would run from Hong Kong to the mainland coast near the Gongbei land crossing, where it would divide to provide separate access to Zhuhai and Macau.

The proposed alignment would lower construction costs and shorten construction time despite the drawback of heavy congestion at Gongbei checkpoint, which has limited space for expansion.

The 28km cross-delta link, estimated to cost US$3.8 billion, could be opened to traffic by 2010 and would make Zhuhai and Macau a 30-minute drive from Hong Kong.

"Experts have recommended the northern bridge-cum-tunnel alignment proposal," Dr Liao said. "The eastern landing point [in Hong Kong] is at San Shek Wan on Lantau. The western landing points will be at Gongbei in Zhuhai and Perola in Macau. This recommendation will need the approval from the State Council."

Guangdong Development and Reform Commission director-general Chen Shanru said construction on the link could start as early as this year.

The group would discuss funding issues once the recommendation is approved.

The Hong Kong government has said that a public-private partnership model may be adopted in funding the construction and operation of the cross-delta link.

:eek:

Delta link bidding expected in months
Eric Ng and Denise Tsang
04 April 2005
South China Morning Post

International bidding for the US$3.8 billion Pearl River Delta bridge linking Hong Kong, Macau and Zhuhai is expected within months under a tight planning schedule that aims for building to start before the end of the year.

The bridge could be completed by 2010, Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works Sarah Liao Sau-tung said yesterday. "The central government wants to speed up the realisation of the proposed bridge. Ideally, construction will start at the end of this year or early next year."

The project would be put out to international tender after approval by the central government, Ms Liao said.

The Hong Kong government has said that a public-private partnership model may be adopted to fund the project.

Hopewell Highway Infrastructure (HHI), spun-off on the mainboard from construction and toll-road group Hopewell Holdings in 2003, is a strong proponent and front-runner for the project.

With $2 billion on hand, HHI managing director Thomas Jefferson Wu said last month the firm had sufficient resources to build the second phase of the Western Delta project, widening the Guangzhou-Shenzhen superhighway and possibly investing in the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge project.

Cheung Kong Infrastructure had said in 2003 it was interested in taking a stake in the bridge project. That year, HHI chairman Sir Gordon Wu Ying-sheung said the firm would want to take a 50 per cent stake in the project - a personal brainchild - by contributing $2.5 billion. This would amount to 50 per cent of the equity funding, assuming 66 per cent of the estimated $15 billion construction cost would be raised through bank loans.

The 28km bridge would connect with HHI's toll roads - the 122.8km Guangzhou-Shenzhen Superhighway, the 38km Guangzhou east-southwest ring road and the proposed 56.7km Guangzhou-Zhuhai superhighway - in a loop network at the heart of the Pearl River Delta.

A 100-member group, comprising officials and experts from Hong Kong, Beijing, Guangdong and Macau, agreed at the weekend on the landing sites - San Shek Wan on Lantau, Perola in Macau and Gongbei in Zhuhai.

The bridge would cut travel between Hong Kong and Macau to about 30 minutes.

A bridge 22 miles too far for Hong Kong green campaign
By Alexandra Harney, Financial Times
Published: May 6 2005 03:00

China and Hong Kong are pressing ahead with an ambitious plan to build one of the world's longest bridges, but the Rmb30bn (£1.9bn) project, which aims to stimulate economic development in the Pearl River delta, southern China's manufacturing hub, is drawing criticism from environmentalists.

Last month officials from the former British colony and mainland China agreed the design for a six-lane, 22 mile bridge connecting Hong Kong on the eastern side of the Pearl River with Macao and Zhuhai in the west.

Construction could start this year.

They hope the Y-shaped bridge, which is expected to shorten travel time between Zhuhai and Hong Kong from four hours to 20 minutes and be completed by 2010, will relieve pressure in the crowded eastern delta and attract investment to the undeveloped western side.

After Beijing opened the Pearl River delta to foreign investment in 1978, Hong Kong investors built factories in the east because it was easily accessible by car or train.

By comparison, visitors from Hong Kong to the western delta faced either a long car journey to Humen and the only other bridge across the delta or a boat ride.

As a result, Guangzhou, the biggest city in the eastern Pearl River delta, recorded a gross domestic product of Rmb300bn in 2002, compared with Rmb118bn in the same year in Foshan, the biggest city in the west.

This year the gap between the two cities' performance is likely to have widened even further.

But the eastern cities that have absorbed the most investment are brushing up against the limits of their growth, with shortages of labour, water, land and power driving up costs in Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Dongguan.

"Hong Kong people have invested so much in the east coast . . . land is becoming more expensive," says Sarah Liao, Hong Kong's secretary for the environment, transport and works.

"They are really looking for more inner areas for further development."

The bridge's proponents say better transport links to the western delta would not only narrow the gap in economic development but also reinforce Hong Kong's role as a transport and logistics hub. Michael Enright, a professor at the University of Hong Kong and a leading scholar on the Pearl River delta, estimates that the bridge could bring at least HK$100bn ($12.8bn) a year in economic benefits to the region, equivalent to about 5 per cent of its GDP.

But others argue that environmental considerations must be taken into account. The delta is home to a population of rare pink dolphins, which could be disturbed by the bridge's construction.

One of Hong Kong's few remaining populations of horseshoe crabs lives in Tung Chung Bay, near the spot where the bridge would connect with a road on the territory's Lantau Island.

Without tight controls, vehicle traffic across the bridge and the new factories built in the western delta would also introduce additional sources of air pollution to a region already choking on the fumes from factories in the east. Environmental protection regulations are not well enforced in mainland China.

Bill Barron, associate professor at the University of Hong Kong's centre of urban planning and environmental management, says that by doubling the land easily accessible to Hong Kong, the bridge is likely to increase air and water pollution.

"We're saying it's a terrible idea because we don't have the room to absorb that many more people and industries, unless the whole industrial base gets a lot cleaner, and we just don't see that [happening]."

Ms Liao says the government is conducting its own environmental survey and insists it has proved its commitment to protecting the pink dolphins on other projects such as the building of Hong Kong's airport, which opened in 1997.

Hong Kong officials hope to restrict the class of vehicles that can use the bridge to those that meet reduced emission standards or use clean fuels.

But critics question the government's insistence on using private backing for the bridge.

They say the government is under the influence of powerful businessmen and has insisted on private finance in spite of evidence that the only way investors could make the bridge pay is by loosening restrictions on traffic across the Hong Kong-China border.

Other concerns remain. Setting a toll at an affordable level for the trucks that will constitute the bulk of cross-border traffic will prove challenging as the other boundary crossings are free.

But perhaps the trickiest remains the fact that Hong Kong people drive on the left, while mainland Chinese residents drive on the right.

China and Hong Kong are pressing ahead with an ambitious plan to build one of the world's longest bridges...

There's nothing "ambitious" about a 21 mile causeway with a tunnel or small cable-stayed span attached to it. This monstrosity needs to be dropped now! :cheers:

wow, i really like that proyect

But perhaps the trickiest remains the fact that Hong Kong people drive on the left, while mainland Chinese residents drive on the right.


It should be the other way around

There's nothing "ambitious" about a 21 mile causeway with a tunnel or small cable-stayed span attached to it. This monstrosity needs to be dropped now! :cheers:

Yes, indeed, unless they build something like the gilbraltar super-bridge

^ EXACTLY! Or make the whole thing a tunnel for all I care, though that would take a long time to build...

I love the idea of linking these three cities together, but do it with some style, not a causeway. Causeways say "I refuse to put ANY thought into this bridge, just make it as cheap and ugly as possible!" :) :) :) :) :)

Wait a minute, Macau drives on the left (like in China, continental Europe, and North America) while Zhuhai drives on the right (like in HK, Britain, Japan)? That's really weird and messed up. I always thought Zhuhai would drive the same way China would seeing how is FULLY is part of the PRC.

China: steer on the left, drive on the right

HK Macau: Steer on the right, drive on the left.

:)

May 9, 2005
Government Press Release
'Wild speculation' on bridge project refuted

The Environment, Transport & Works Bureau has rejected as "wild speculation" media reports that the local section of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge will not meet environmental standards and that legal exemption would be required.

A newspaper reported today that an environmental impact assessment has found the project cannot meet the air quality requirement. It suggested that an exemption from the assessment ordinance would have to be sought from the Executive Council.

The bureau clarified that an assessment cannot yet be conducted as planning for the bridge is ongoing. It said only after such major decisions have been made can the various assessments, including one on air quality, be conducted.

very interesting!! And impressive!! that's a HUGe bridge!!On eof my future projects is to visit Macao, HK! It's amazing how HK's surface is so much bigger than Macao's!! I didn't know that!

Just an historical note : Portugal drove on the left (like the UK) until the 1920s. It changed in most of the Portuguese world by then, except for Mozambique and Macao, because of the proximity to English-speaking and therefore countries driving on the left.

Consultants to flesh out details of cross-delta bridge

http://hongkong.scmp.com/images/News_bridge24.MAp_2405.jpg

A conceptual design for the bridge that will link Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macau is to be developed soon, with the costs split evenly among the three governments.
Transport officials in Hong Kong are to ask lawmakers for $26.8 million next month for employing consultants to draw up the design and to carry out a series of technical studies.

The project is projected to cost 72.8 million yuan.

The details were released in a government paper issued to lawmakers yesterday ahead of a transport panel meeting on Friday. Officials are to approach the public works subcommittee of the Finance Committee for funding next month.

The conceptual design will cover the main bridge, boundary-crossing facilities and connecting roads to help define the requirements and scope of the project.

After a feasibility study of the bridge, a group of experts from the mainland, Hong Kong and Macau assessed three proposed alignments of the bridge.

They found the northern option, which includes a bridge and tunnel, would cause the least damage to the natural shoreline of Lantau. The experts suggested studying this option further to find ways to cut construction costs and to move the bridge further north to minimise the impact on navigation and anchorage areas.

The other two alignments would create environment problems, the experts found. The southern option would run along the natural shoreline of West Lantau; the extreme southern alignment would require a tunnel to be dug on the slope above the natural coastline of South Lantau.

The feasibility study report will be submitted to the bridge's co- ordination group before it is sent to the central government.

Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works Sarah Liao Sau-tung has said that the bridge could be completed by 2010 and that construction would ideally start at the end of this year or early next year. She said the project would be put out to international tender after approval by the central government.

To accommodate traffic from the bridge, the administration has earmarked funds for the North Lantau Highway Connection, estimated to cost $9.7 billion. Construction is to start in mid-2007.

Hopewell defends bridge
Dennis Chong and Sylvia Hui
Hong Kong Standard
May 13, 2005

Dismissing concerns that the proposed Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge will increase air pollution in the Pearl Delta area, a Hopewell executive and a key project manager of the bridge both downplayed the environmental impact of the proposed mega infrastructure Thursday.

But the claims met with strong opposition from some delegates at a conference on air pollution in the Pearl River Delta, organized by the Business Environment Council.

"Infrastructure doesn't by itself create pollution. Why blame highway builders? Why don't you blame car manufacturers?'' said Hopewell Highway Infrastructure's (HHI) executive director, Leo Leung.

HHI, a spin-off of Hopewell Holdings, is the leading advocate and frontrunner for developing the 30-kilometer project.

The Highways Department's Lam Chiu-hung, the project manager of the five-kilometer Hong Kong section of the bridge, said the project would create "insignificant pollution.''

He said the alignment of the bridge would "minimize'' the impact on air quality

and that the project would not cause severe pollution to the area because road traffic is a "small player in air pollution.''

But his comments were attacked by Hong Kong University professor of community medicine, Anthony Hedley. "Your proposals will create a major conduit ... for polluting sources to go straight to the heart of the SAR,'' he warned.

"If pollution is bad now, the bridge will make it intolerable.''

According to the Environmental Protection Department, emissions from motor vehicles make up 31 percent of total nitrogen oxides emissions and 14 percent of respirable suspended particulates.

The remarks followed recent reports that the ongoing environmental impact assessment on the multibillion-dollar project has alarming implications for Tung Chung New Town on Lantau.

The reports also alleged that the government is planning to seek a discretion for the Chief Executive to give the green light for the project, which will also involve the Macau and Zhuhai governments.

The Hong Kong government has branded the claims as "wild speculation,'' adding that it will not bypass the law.

When asked whether the assessment includes a protection study on the impact of future traffic patterns - which, according to estimates, could reach 80,000 vehicles a day - Lam said future problems will be solved by "other measures.''

But he did not elaborate on what those might be.

He later said the government can only conduct the study "based on available information.''

The government has not decided on the final route and landing points of the bridge, but an environmental assessment study was started in 2003 to look at the possible impact during the construction and operational stages.

According to the assessment study's brief, the impact on air should be calculated based on the maximum emission level over the next 15 years.

A paper issued by the Highways Department in October 2003, which specifies the scope of the assessment, named Tung Chung as one of the "potential receivers'' of air pollution from the bridge.

But it also concluded that "local air quality impacts due to vehicular emissions during the operation stage are not significant.''

Environmental Protection Department director Keith Kwok told the conference that, according to preliminary study data, there are no signs that the bridge will bring unacceptable pollution.

He stressed that the government will not bypass the law to give the green light to the long-awaited bridge, adding that final results of the study will be released soon.

The Highway Department's Lam said that, for the first few years of operation, traffic on the bridge is not expected to be substantial and will only have an "insignificant impact'' on the environment. But he added the alignment of the bridge will be adjusted to project people living nearby, including Tung Chung residents.

There are mounting concerns that Tung Chung, a new town of 100,000 people east of the landing point of the bridge at San Shek Wan, will be badly hit by air pollution when the bridge brings in more traffic and economic development. Lam said a decision on the route of the bridge will take several months.

The tendering process has not begun and no timetable has been set.

Toll fears for proposed bridge
Michael Ng, Hong Kong Standard
May 28, 2005

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/stdn/std/Metro/images/bird0528.jpg

Following the precedent set by the sharp toll increase imposed by the management of the Eastern Harbour Crossing, legislators fear the government may lose its power to control toll levels for the proposed Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge in a public-private partnership.

Reporting on the progress of the bridge proposal to the Legislative Council Friday, Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works Sarah Liao said experts from the mainland, Hong Kong and Macau had recommended at their April meeting to focus on the northern bridge and tunnel alignment, with landings at San Shek Wan on Lantau, Gongbei in Zhuhai and A Perola in Macau.

"The north alignment will cause the least disturbance to the environment and the habitat of dolphins in Pearl River Delta. The elevated bridge [passing] Sha Lo Wan in the north alignment option will also lower the damage caused to the coastline there," Liao said.

She said the government will find private investors to fund the construction of the bridge.

Seeking Legco approval for a HK$26.8 million fund for the design and technical studies of the bridge before next month, she hoped construction may start early next year.

But legislators are worried the government will lose its power to control toll charges under the Build, Operate, Transfer arrangement commonly used in all public-private partnership tunnels in Hong Kong.

Liberal Party transport sector legislator Miriam Yeung feared that the government's private sector partner will just refer to the rate of return when citing the bridge toll, making it unreasonable and unattractive for freight users.

"As there are alternative road transport options and river trade vessels available to the western coast of the Pearl River Delta, if the bridge venture refers purely to market levels to regain their investments and guarantee their return then the toll could reach several hundred Hong Kong dollars a trip," she said.

"This will not be an attractive rate for freight users. The toll will fail to make land transport between the coasts of Pearl River Delta convenient."

Democratic Party lawmaker Andrew Cheng suggested the government issue bonds, as it did when the government securitized five tunnels and the Tsing Ma bridge last year, to finance the project and prevent the bridge tolls spiraling out of government's control.

Liao said although the government has not yet decided the mode of commercial financing, she pledged the government will not lose the power to set tolls and will ensure it is competitive.

"I can assure you that the toll mechanism for the bridge will not be purely pegged to the rate of return. We are still seeking a balanced proposal," she said.

"We will also ensure that the bridge will not to be under-used, and that the traffic flow of the bridge will reach a specific target."

Director of Highways Mak Chai-kwong said his department is also studying four alignment options linking the bridge's landing point at San Shek Wan to the North Lantau Highway.

The options included a HK$8 billion elevated bridge, a HK$10 billion undersea tunnel, a HK$4 billion road passing through the Tung Chung new town, and a HK$6 billion tunnel.

Yeung agreed with the Highways Department's assessment that the HK$6 billion tunnel option will be the most appropriate option.

"The tunnel option should be used as its construction cost is the second lowest and will result in less environmental impact to Tung Chung. The HK$4 billion new road will only aggravate the air pollution problem there," she said.

The department will consult the Islands District Council of the four options, before seeking HK$9.715 billion from the legislature for its design and construction by early 2006.

Loving the quick thought processes put to work on this mega project!

I would say its impossible to build a large span bridge, just think of the tall towers, they would block the flight patterns around the HK airport...

Taxpayers face extra $26.8m bill for bridge study
Chester Yung, Hong Kong Standard
June 8, 2005

An additional HK$26.8 million of taxpayers' money will be needed for a technical study for the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, according to a government paper which will be discussed in the Legislative Council today.

The amount comes on top of the HK$59 million granted to the government in 2003 for preliminary work on the HK$15 billion project. A green group Tuesday questioned the request for more funds as the government has so far released no information on how the money has been spent.

The Conservancy Association demanded to know how the original HK$59 million was spent.

"The accountability and transparency is of public concern as this is a massive project involving a lot of public money,'' said association chairman Albert Lai.

The association recently wrote to Legco saying the government advised lawmakers of a meeting of a bridge coordination group, which comprised representatives from the mainland, Macau and Hong Kong on August 29, 2003.

They agreed to commission a study on various subjects, including economic benefits, alignments, environmental impact and hydrology. Subsequently, Legco approved the HK$59 million.

"However, it is not clear whether the government had omitted an investigation on the economic benefits from the scope of the study,'' the paper said.

The director of highways recently recommended that the project be upgraded, and requested an additional HK$26.8 million.

"The government provided no justification whatsoever as to whether the promised study on economic viability had been carried out, or whether the outcome of the study justified the needs and viability of the project,'' the association's paper to legislators said.

If the feasibility and sustainability of the project turn out to be questionable, Legco's approval of HK$26.8 million will be a waste, said Lai.

China Bridge to Help Property Firms --- Long-Discussed Structure Would Link the Mainland To Hong Kong and Macau
By Mei Fong
18 July 2005
The Wall Street Journal Europe

HONG KONG -- A long-discussed, ambitious plan for a bridge linking mainland China with Hong Kong and Macau is likely to get off the ground soon, and that could generate significant gains for infrastructure and property plays.

Talk of a bridge to serve as a visible symbol of Hong Kong's and Macau's reunification with China began more than a decade ago. The project would link the two cities with China's Pearl River Delta region, an economic powerhouse that has less than 5% of China's population but accounts for about 20% of its gross domestic product and 40% of its exports. But the plan didn't get far beyond the drawing board, as the region was hit by the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s, then by the SARS epidemic in 2003.

Now, such a bridge could serve as more than just a symbol. With Disneyland opening in Hong Kong in September and Macau's gambling revenue swelling, it could boost tourism and logistical links in one of the world's busiest manufacturing districts at a time when the area faces growing competition from the Yangtze industrial region around Shanghai.

Chinese authorities gave the green light to the bridge in March, though many details, such as the extent of private involvement and the timetable, haven't been set. But belief the bridge will be built is spurring partnership discussions among operators of everything from hotels to highways, industry executives say.

Some analysts expect an announcement on the funding structure by year's end. They predict the cost of the 29-kilometer bridge could range between HK$15 billion and HK$30 billion, or 1.6 billion euros and 3.2 billion euros, with the private sector owning between 10% and 50% and provincial governments in southern China owning the rest.

Victor Fung, chairman of the Greater Pearl River Delta Business Council, a government advisory group that includes key Hong Kong business figures, says the groundbreaking could happen before year's end. Earlier, "a lot of people didn't agree" with the idea of a bridge, said Mr. Fung, chairman of Hong Kong-based sourcing giant Li & Fung. "Now it's: `How come you guys aren't fast enough?' "

Even former critics now seem eager to play a role, including Macau casino magnate Stanley Ho. His family runs Hong Kong-listed Shun Tak Holdings, which controls ferries plying the Macau-Hong Kong route. Analysts speculate that Shun Tak might team up with other Hong Kong-listed companies, such as infrastructure and property company Hopewell Holdings, or Mr. Ho's leisure operator Melco International Development, to vie for the project.

"I think they realize the bigger the Macau story, the bigger the benefit to them," says Danie Schutte, an analyst at CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets.

Others that might pitch to participate are Cheung Kong Infrastructure, part of Li Ka-shing's Hutchison Whampoa conglomerate; toll operator Shenzhen Expressway; real-estate giant Sun Hung Kai Properties and real-estate and infrastructure firm Citic Pacific.

Analysts say Hopewell Holdings could emerge as one of the biggest players. The company's chief, Gordon Wu, a Princeton engineering graduate, proposed the bridge in the late 1980s and has been its most vocal advocate. In addition, its network of highways and property investments gives it one of the biggest footprints in the Pearl River area, analysts say.

The company has a strong cash flow, thanks to its 75% stake in Hopewell Highway Infrastructure, which builds and operates toll roads in China. As of December, Hopewell had HK$2.41 billion in cash, a sizable war chest for the project, says Andes Cheng, an analyst at South China Research, a Hong Kong brokerage firm.

In February, Merrill Lynch began covering both Hopewell Highway and Hopewell Holdings -- two years after Hopewell Highway and 33 years after Hopewell Holdings were listed in Hong Kong. Merrill Lynch analyst Cusson Leung says shares of the two companies generated little excitement before because of their relatively small market capitalizations and low trading volumes.

Now, Hopewell Holdings' market capitalization is US$2 billion (1.66 billion euros), up from between about US$500 million and US$600 million in the 2001-2002 period, while its share price has climbed sharply from about HK$4 at the end of 2001. On Friday, its shares rose 1% to close at HK$19.90 apiece.

"It's the company that stands to benefit most from [Pearl River Delta] regionalization," says Mr. Leung, who estimates that the asset value of Hopewell Holdings' infrastructure arm, Hopewell Highway, could increase between 50 Hong Kong cents and HK$1 per share if Hopewell wins a 50% stake in the bridge and it is completed swiftly.

Some analysts say shares of Hopewell Holdings remain relatively undervalued. Mr. Leung contends they are about 34% below asset value. Analysts attribute the undervaluation to uncertainties related to a potential stake in the bridge and the company's failure thus far to secure government approval for a proposed 60-story twin-tower hotel in Hong Kong.

If Hopewell Holdings gets a stake in the planned bridge, it might need to raise substantial debt, depending on the stake size, says CLSA's Mr. Schutte. Massive debt has become a big issue for some investors in major infrastructure projects; the Anglo-French company Eurotunnel is still struggling to pay debts from building the link between Britain and France.

Investors in infrastructure companies can face heavy risks, Mr. Schutte says, noting "timing is crucial in deciding when to buy infrastructure plays."

Cool Bridge!

Is there anything on how the bridge is going to look??? and what is the final alignment of the bridge???

I say make a dual rail/road bridge//extend the TCL line from Tung Chung or AEL to Macau and Zhu Hai

http://www.hkchcc.org/bridge.jpg

Cost disputes halt Macau Bridge project
Plagued by disputes over financial planning, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge project has came to a standstill, raising doubts about its tentative completion date in 2009
Carrie Chan
Hong Kong Standard
Saturday, September 03, 2005

Plagued by disputes over financial planning, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge project has came to a standstill, raising doubts about its tentative completion date in 2009.

Shiu Sin-por, the executive director of the One Country Two Systems Research Institute, told The Standard that three senior officials overseeing the bridge under the State Ministry had recently approached him, seeking a solution to end the deadlock.

Shiu said the deadlock was the result of disagreements over different proposals concerning supporting facilities for the bridge.

According to him, construction costs had already risen sharply from the original estimate of HK$30 billion to around HK$50 billion, one fifth of which would be required for a man- made island to house cross-border immigration and customs checkpoints.

Part of the huge increase in construction expenditure is due to the extra supporting expressways proposed by the Zhuhai and Hong Kong governments.

"However, the disputes over financing and the cost of the proposed expressways has brought work to a halt," Shui said.

"The Zhuhai government has suggested an extra expressway in Zhuhai leading to the Bridge, while the Hong Kong government wants a road from Hong Kong International Airport to the island checkpoint.

" I have suggested that one viable solution is to turn the island into a commercial area by copying the example at Chek Lap Kok airport. The inspection hall area can function as a shopping mall for tourists and this will generate revenue to help pay for the bridge."

The proposed Zhuhai Expressway will cost an estimated HK$300 million. It is expected to ease traffic congestion in Zhuhai once the bridge is completed.

Chief Executive Donald Tsang was silent over the progress of the bridge when urged by construction sector lawmaker Ho Chung-tai to expedite the project.

I think I've seen renderings for the bridge, but I don't remember where...

And I think in the renderings, the bridge is going to be made up of mostly dull causeway spans. Kinda disappointing, I say if you're going to build a bridge that long, design something resembling the Gibraltar Strait Bridge or bury the bloody thing in a tunnel! :)

http://idol.union.edu/~ferrerf/project/image011.jpg


its the same bright they want build in Gibraltar :runaway:

The Pearl River Delta is slammed by Typhoons every year, is it not? Look what happened to most of the causeway bridges in the Louisiana and Mississippi area after Hurricane Katrina, they were severely damaged. Most of this proposed bridge is causeway, does anyone else think this is inviting disaster?

If they build the bridges with Typhoons in mind, as they are going to do due to the frequency of them in the area, then the bridges should be more than capable of standing up to the most powerful typhoons. Problem with Louisiana was that because powerful hurricanes only hit from time to time people are generally more complacent and assume it wont happen, so don't want to go to the huge expense of being ready for it 'just in-case'.

I really hope this gets built, it could help spread out the incredible prosperity of HK into even more of the surronding area boasting China's economy even more. :)

Three-city bridge link reaches final stage
Neil Gough in Guangzhou
9/24/2005
South China Morning Post

Hong Kong Highways Department director Mak Chai-kwong said inter-government studies of the mammoth 49km bridge that would link Hong Kong, Macau and Zhuhai had reached the final stages.

The three regional governments are examining the final feasibility studies for the multibillion-dollar project after having finally reached a consensus on alignment of the route and landing points of the bridge.

At a panel discussion on infrastructure in the Pearl River Delta, Mr Mak said that after each government completed its review, the final feasibility study would be sent to the central government for approval.

While declining to set a timetable for when plans would be sent to Beijing, Mr Mak said: "Progress on this is by no means slow. In fact, I would say progress has been excellent."

He said that during the past 14 months, the Hong Kong government had commissioned some 30 topical studies on issues including the impact on the environment and Chinese white dolphins. Mr Mak is part of the co-ordinating group of government representatives that has set plans for the bridge's route. In May, it began considering 10 alignment options, and narrowed them down to the one contained in the final study.

In the plans, the bridge would head due west from Lantau Island and veer southwest after passing the Qingzhou Channel, roughly the halfway point.

Questioning the possibility of including a railway line along the bridge, MTR Corp chief design manager Malcolm Gibson said it was imperative to decide the intended market.

Passenger traffic would most likely gravitate towards buses or private vehicles, Mr Gibson said. Targeting the freight market posed challenges for a rail system because of logistical issues in transshipment. For freight rail to work, it will need to be integrated with a port and transverse a substantially dense cluster of factories, neither of which is the case with these plans.

ive seen this one in megacities in national geo and its very superb!!!

wow... great project... have any update news?

Siu Ho Wan rail to link to mega-bridge
Cecilia Lo
China Daily - Hong Kong Edition
23 November 2005

A new MTR station may be built at Siu Ho Wan in the northern part of Lantau Island as a subway link to the proposed Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao bridge, transforming the place into a major cross-boundary transport hub.

The government said yesterday that the mega-bridge would improve connections not only between Hong Kong and Macao, but also the western part of the Pearl River region. The Highways Department and the authorities are studying the preliminary design of the bridge and its links with Lantau that will also come as a booster for the various development projects on the island.

Siu Ho Wan could become a huge park-and-ride hub with an MTR station. The MTR's Siu Ho Wan depot has been selected as potential station site and the railway has shown interest in conducting a feasibility study on the proposal.

Siu Ho Wan is the proposed location for the Lantau Logistics Park (LLP), too, which will provide a better supply chain to meet global demands and "one-stop" logistics services. The LLP will be directly accessible from the North Lantau Highway while being close to the Hong Kong International Airport and Kwai Chung container port.

Speaking at a meeting of the Legislative Council (LegCo) panel on planning, lands and works and environmental affairs yesterday, District Planning Officer of the Lantau and Islands Planning Department Phyllis Li said: "The park will make use of the sea, land and air infrastructure at the site."

The LLP is high on the priority list under the concept plan for Lantau's development proposed in October 2004. The plan aims to make Lantau a sustainable development example by striking a balance between economic activities and conservation.

About 540 written remarks on the plan were received by the government during a three-month consultation period.

Dream project a bridge too far
Hopewell Highway says even
construction heavyweights find the Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai link's $60b price tag too high
Ken Lo
20 October 2005
South China Morning Post

For Hopewell Highway Infrastructure, the proposed Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai Bridge - whose present price tag is $60 billion - could be a bridge too far.

The 20-year dream of chairman Sir Gordon Wu Ying-sheung to link the transport flow in the Pearl River delta with a 36km bridge and tunnel road corridor started at $15 billion.

But now, with the Guangdong and Macau governments calling on private entities to also bear the cost of the networks linking the bridge and main expressways in Guangdong province, it is enough to make anyone blanch.

"Sixty billion dollars is a huge number," Hopewell managing director Thomas Jefferson Wu said the company's annual general meeting yesterday.

The company believes only very few heavy-hitting infrastructure firms could bear such a cost. Even the Hong Kong government has estimated costs could swell to between $20 billion and $30 billion.

The eye-popping bill has cast a pall over Hopewell's efforts to find partners to compete for the bridge project, which it estimates will cost it 2.62 billion yuan, based on the assumption that its 50 per cent interest would be made up of 35 per cent equity and 65 per cent bank borrowings.

Hopewell plans to take a 50 per cent stake in the project.

The governments of Hong Kong, Guangdong province and Macau would seek approval from Beijing for the proposed Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge project, Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen said in his first policy paper last week.

BNP Paribas Peregrine infrastructure analyst Jim Wong said there were concerns that there would be very few players willing to take on such an ambitious and costly project.

Even an extension of the operating period from 30 years to 50 years would add little incentive and much would depend on how flexible the government could be with its toll fee policy, Mr Wong said.

"From the point of the discounted cash flow model, the value of the last 20 years of toll fee revenue would not be substantial enough to entice investors," he said.

Hopewell has enough cash to fund the project after boosting reserves to $2.44 billion, partly by arranging an unsecured syndicated loan of $3.6 billion last week. This was in addition to an operating cash inflow of more than $1 billion annually. However, the cost of the project has given the firm cold feet.

As for other projects, Hopewell has said it was still awaiting government approval to widen the 122.8km GS Superhighway to a dual five-lane expressway.

Thomas Wu said the expansion plan was now at the screening stage with local municipalities and he hoped to get the green light as soon as possible.

He forecast a 60 per cent rise in traffic flow following construction.

The total investment is estimated to be upwards of $7 billion, depending on how well Hopewell and its local partners prepared land banks in advance for future development purposes.

The GS Superhighway, the major expressway directly linking Guangzhou, Dongguan, Shenzhen and Hong Kong, is a fully lit three-lane dual expressway.

...

Hi folks!
I am trying to contact Sir Gordon Wu,, Chairman of Hopewell Holdings Limited HHL, but I can t reach him.
Do you guys have by chance any contact information regarding this person ? I am involved in a huge port remodeling project in South America and I am planning to visit HK.

Thanks

:) PUMPINA (pumpi@argentina.com)

Quotation of the day :
Climb every mountain, ford every stream,
Follow every rainbow, till you find your dream!
from The Sound of Music.

Best of luck trying to reach him. His company's website is : http://www.hopewellholdings.com/

Thanks for your quick response.
Pumpina

Delta bridge target put at 54b yuan
6 December 2005
South China Morning Post

The operator of the bridge linking Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macau will have to raise 54 billion yuan, says legislator Lau Kong-wah.

Speaking after meeting Huang Weihong, deputy director of the Guangdong People's Congress Standing Committee, Mr Lau said the amount would cover all reclamation and construction costs.

He said mainland authorities had agreed that the bridge would adopt the build, operate, transfer (BOT) model, under which a franchisee pays the construction costs, operates the project and returns it to the governments.

Expressing concern over this model, Mr Lau said: "I hope the BOT franchise can be lengthened, to keep the toll low."

Transport services legislator Miriam Lau Kin-yee also agreed that the BOT period had to be long enough to compensate for the expensive price tag.

The legislators are part of the Legislative Council transport panel delegation paying a visit to Guangzhou. It is the first mainland visit by a Legco panel, coming after a landmark trip by 59 lawmakers in September.

I guess they can't built this bridge tall because of its proximity to the HK Airport?

This bridge would definitely hurt the ferry business

Tunnel bid could sink cross-delta bridge plan
Underwater link between Zhongshan and Shenzhen backed by Guangdong
13 February 2006
South China Morning Post

An underwater tunnel between Zhongshan and Shenzhen has been endorsed by the Guangdong government, and experts say the project could scuttle the long-awaited Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai bridge.

A government source said provincial authorities had finished all necessary studies into the feasibility and funding of the tunnel, but were waiting to gauge the central government's reaction to the project - even though Beijing's approval is not needed - and its decision on the cross-delta bridge.

Combined with the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Corridor, due to be completed this year, the tunnel could greatly reduce travelling time between the relatively underdeveloped western Pearl River Delta and the more prosperous east.

A tunnel was widely seen by Guangdong academics and officials as a better alternative to the expensive and controversial Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai bridge, and would make that project redundant, said veteran China observer Johnny Lau Yui-siu.

"It would be cheaper and easier to build. The Guangdong government has set aside money for the project. If it goes ahead, I fear the Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai bridge will no longer be necessary."

Supporters of the project say the tunnel, which would probably land in northwest Shenzhen - has many advantages over the bridge. It would cost 6 billion yuan to build, compared with $60 billion for the bridge.

It would also face fewer political and administrative obstacles, as it would run entirely within Guangdong territory. "It is within Guangdong waters so we don't need the central government's approval. And we don't have to co-ordinate with other governments," said a source familiar with the situation.

The bridge would span two special administrative regions and Guangdong. Working out how to share jurisdiction has been a headache for the authorities.

A Shenzhen academic cited the Western Corridor, which also involves a bridge, as an example of the problems involved. The National People's Congress was asked to decide which side would have jurisdiction over the bridge, and the NPC eventually ordered Shenzhen to cede control to Hong Kong.

"But the Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai bridge will not be so easy," the academic said. "It is much longer than the Western Corridor and involves three governments."

Guangdong academics first proposed building a bridge or underwater tunnel from Zhongshan to Shenzhen about five years ago. But the project was shelved after Hong Kong expressed an interest in building a bridge connecting the city to Zhuhai and Macau.

Estimated construction costs for the bridge have been drastically revised from the original $15 billion to nearly $60 billion.

The Macau and Guangdong governments have not expressed interest in funding it, while the Hong Kong business community is divided on the plan. These factors - and the bridge's failure to link with Shenzhen - have helped revive the tunnel proposal.

Sun Yat-sen University professor Zheng Tianxiang , a key policy adviser on the issue, said support for the underwater tunnel proposal was growing fast.

He said the Guangdong government should delay the project, however, until Beijing made a decision on the cross-delta bridge.

Mainland media have largely kept silent on the proposal as Guangdong authorities fear it might compromise their relationship with Hong Kong. "This is something we can work on, but not talk about," one official said.

But tunnel supporters believe it cannot be held back for long. One source said: "The bridge plan has dragged on for too long and will cost too much {hellip} We have to start working on alternatives."

Tunnel bid could sink cross-delta bridge plan
Underwater link between Zhongshan and Shenzhen backed by Guangdong
13 February 2006
South China Morning Post

(skipped)


If this really came true, that really wasn't a good news for both HK and Macau. :ohno:

Wow the price tag for the bridge is up to $60 billion? That's outrageous, go for the tunnel. :sleepy:

It's HK$60 billion though, which is about US$7 billion.

Extra links across delta seen as posing no threat to super-bridge project
14 February 2006
South China Morning Post

More links across the Pearl River Delta estuary would not supersede the proposed super-bridge linking Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macau, the government says.

The comment came after the South China Morning Post reported yesterday that the Guangdong government had endorsed a plan to link Zhongshan and Shenzhen by an undersea tunnel, a scheme which some mainland analysts said might render the proposed super-bridge redundant.

A spokesman for the Environment, Transport and Works Bureau said a joint study carried out by the National Development and Reform Commission and the Hong Kong authorities in 2003 had already concluded that the estuary could accommodate three links between the two banks of the Pearl River.

"A link between Shenzhen and Zhongshan has been looked at, but the report concludes that the bridge should be given priority because of its political and economic significance," he said.

He said the advance work on the super-bridge project was progressing and all parties wished to finish the project as soon as possible.

Anthony Yeh Gar-on, from the University of Hong Kong's Centre of Urban Planning and Environmental Management, said the level of economic development in the western Pearl River Delta did not warrant an extra link at this time.

"I would be surprised if the central government now or very soon approves the link between Zhongshan and Shenzhen," he said.

He also disputed whether the provincial authority could have final say on building the tunnel, as was reported, because such a tunnel would be a national link.

"After all, there must be a co-ordinating body and that must be the central government," Professor Yeh said.

An industry source said they had heard about the tunnel project, but believed there would be no conflict between it and the bridge.

"The two have different functions. One is a link for internal flow while the other is cross-border and has a strategic role to play in the development of southern China," he said.

WWF Hong Kong conservation officer, Clarus Chu Ping-shing, said a tunnel link in the upper Pearl River estuary would pose less of a threat to the Chinese white dolphin than the super-bridge, whose habitat it would traverse.

But Green Power chief executive officer Man Chi-sum said that an undersea tunnel might destroy the river bed if it was not built with great care.

It's HK$60 billion though, which is about US$7 billion.
Right, but the proposed tunnel was 1/10th the cost of the bridge. I'm assuming that's because the tunnel spans a shorter width of the delta.

What are the reasons given for the increase in the bridge's cost? Did surveys of the route reveal areas that'll cost more to build than anticipated?

thats great news!

Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge to Start Construction Next Year

HONG KONG, February 28, SinoCast -- Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and Hengqin Economic Development Zone are expected to start construction next year simultaneously, according to sources from a meeting about the planning for the eleventh Five-Year Plan period (2006-2010).

Issues about the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge project have been almost resolved, except issues of port location and environmental protection, said Chen Shan, a director of the Development and Reform Commission of Guangdong Province.

The bidding for design of the bridge will start as soon as the central government finalizes the specific location for the port. The construction is expected to start in 2007, as the design work is estimated to last almost half a year.

A total investment of CNY 55 billion in the bridge will primarily come from social capitals. The cost recovery period will vary from 15 to 20 years and is predicted to be extended with the intent to stimulate social enthusiasm.

When it comes to the Hengqin Economic Development Zone project, Mr. Chen said the preparatory work has been making significant headways, and the project has been submitted to related authorities for suggestions.

The construction of the two projects will introduce more capitals in the Pearl River Delta, Hong Kong and Macau regions into Zhuhai and the western part of the Pearl River Delta, noted a profession of Jinan University.

Uncertainty over cost, timetable of new bridge
6 March 2006
South China Morning Post

A difference has emerged over the cost and timetable for a bridge linking Hong Kong with Macau and Zhuhai .

The Guangdong authorities had not set a timetable and price tag for the project, the province's executive vice-governor Tang Bingquan said yesterday.

His remarks marked an apparent deviation from those of Guangdong Development and Reform Commission director-general Chen Shanru , who said two weeks ago that the provincial authorities were hoping to begin work on the bridge next year.

But Mr Tang, who attended the opening ceremony of the National People's Congress yesterday, said: "It is too early to estimate the construction cost because we are still conducting a thorough study."

He also said the provincial authorities had never mentioned when the project would start. "What we have been saying is that we are actively pushing ahead with the project."

"I think we should not act too hastily on the project although we are actively pushing ahead {hellip} We have to agree on a proposal which benefits all of the three parties."

He said 23 out of 25 topics covering the bridge studied by a taskforce comprising officials from Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong had been completed. "What remains to be resolved are financing and the design of the immigration checkpoints on the ends of the bridge," said Mr Tang.

Asked if the Guangdong authorities had overstated the estimated construction cost of the project, he said they had never spelled out the expected price tag.

Hui signals SAR climbdown over Zhuhai bridge customs
Carrie Chan
Hong Kong Standard
Tuesday, April 04, 2006

A hurdle in the troubled Hong Kong- Macau-Zhuhai bridge plan appears to have been overcome after Chief Secretary Rafael Hui told businessmen the SAR government will drop its proposal for a one-stop customs and immigration checkpoint for Guangdong province and the two Special Administrative Regions, a source said.

A leading member of the Business Council for the Greater Pearl River Delta, who declined to be named, said Monday that Hui told the council in a closed-door briefing that dropping the one-stop checkpoint will be a possible quick-fix solution to end the negotiating impasse.

"Hui briefed us that under `one country, two systems,' we had better cease disputes over this thorny issue and move on to a more contentious and significant issue - financing," the member said.

According to the Hong Kong No2, who also chairs the Hong Kong and Guangdong Joint Cooperation Committee, officials from the three sides had discussed a uniform checkpoint to ensure smooth processing of travelers and cargo.

"But talks were impeded as huge differences arising from distinct customs entities and immigration regimes of the three places," the member added.

Hui told the closed-door committee Monday that time would be better spent on narrowing differences over financing.

"The chief secretary also told the committee that Hong Kong should be aware of lagging behind developments in Guangdong and booming tourism in Macau," the member said.

" Members were warned that circumstances are turning unfavorable for Hong Kong, which risks being marginalized by the mainland's rapid development. It is more disturbing to see some Guangdong provincial leaders less interested in the bridge plan than investing in other projects in the province."

In the briefing Hui did not go into detail how to split the bill for the giant bridge. He said that it will require arduous deliberations by the Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau officials, the member said.

Victor Fung, who chairs the Airport Authority and the Business Council for the Greater Pearl River Delta, declined to disclose how to tackle the problems confronting the bridge plan but stressed the project should proceed as soon as possible.

" I am confident everything will be settled in the end. Things are getting better now and will move on in the near future," Fung said.

Despite speculation that the bridge might be shelved because of the huge construction costs, Macau Chief Executive Edmund Ho unveiled an alternative proposal last Saturday to a visiting delegation of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong. According to Ho, a plausible option to end the financing dispute is to drop the idea of a fair split.

Rather, Ho told the visiting DAB lawmakers an uneven split would be a way out of the deadlock. He elaborated that each side might be required to pay a different amount for some part of the bridge lying in its domain with an additional bill for other related road links and public works.

A plan for a one-stop checkpoint for the Western Corridor has also been presented to Shenzhen authorities.

"It would be a price to pay for the expediency of building the bridge by sacrificing a unified regime for customs clearance and immigration control," the council member said.

Meanwhile, Fung said the council has assigned Trade Development Council chief executive Fred Lam to lead a policy research project on the industrial transformation of the western Pearl River Delta from labor-intensive manufacturing to heavy industries.

Tung Chee-sing, former chairman of the Hong Kong General Commerce of Chamber, will also launch a study on exploring opportunities to shift industries from the well-developed east bank to the less-developed west bank.

港珠澳橋五年內難完工
發改委主任斷言 胡應湘唱反調
26/04/2006

【本報記者廣州報道】廣東省發展和改革委員會主任陳善如指，港珠澳大橋自○三年規劃至今，除了考慮口岸選址，亦涉及很多技術及融資問題，需全盤方案，他預期大橋在今後五年的十一五規劃期間內，未必能完工；他也沒有回應大橋何時可以上馬。但最早倡議興建港珠澳大橋的合和實業主席胡應湘在本港則估計，建橋計劃可望今年內拍板，有信心可在三百億元內建成連接三地的單Ｙ橋，預計日後收費每架車每程一百至二百元。

陳善如：雙Y方案不可行
陳善如在廣州會見本港新聞界時謂，他○三年已上任，從未見過港珠澳大橋的雙Y方案，雙Y方案根本不曾存在，他更指雙Y方案不可行，因為環保上涉及水流問題，而司法管轄的問題也不容易解決，究竟是實行一地三檢還是三地三檢？若一地三檢，則應在哪設口岸？若是三地三檢，口岸與口岸之間的「中間地帶」又由哪邊政府負責呢？對於有報道指，由於港珠澳大橋遲遲未能實現，內地有計劃興建深圳至中山的大橋。陳善如斷言表示，在十一五規劃中，沒有這個項目。

另一方面，合和實業主席胡應湘則指，港珠澳大橋雖無列入廣東省「十一五規劃」，但形容大橋現時「萬事俱備」，被卡住的過關和融資問題其實都可解決。胡建議在澳門拱北關閘對開水域填海建造「一地三檢」口岸，過境車輛旅客日後使用港珠澳大橋只需上落車一次，便可完成出入境手續，遠較「三地三檢」方便。

內地專家曾指大橋建費或高達六百億元，嚇怕投資者，胡則有相反看法，不計香港段，內地及澳門段建費可在三百億元內完成，以此價錢合和很樂意承包。他又指深圳與中山亦擬建深中大橋，可與港珠澳大橋並存。http://the-sun.orisun.com/channels/img/endmarker.gif

Macau is not very supportive. They are dragging the bridge down.

^why?

i personally think its a waste of money,too

another 面子工程(FaceSaveing Project) :sleepy:

^why?

i personally think its a waste of money,too

another 面子工程(FaceSaveing Project) :sleepy:

I really disagree with you. This bridge is actually one of the projects for the Pan Pearl River Delta (PPRD). It helps the development of the Western Guangdong and even the Southwestern Proviences. You may read more info here (http://www.pprd.org.cn/) if you can read Simplfied Chinese. :|

^why?

i personally think its a waste of money,too

another 面子工程(FaceSaveing Project) :sleepy:

The bridge is very beneficial to Hong Kong as cargoes from the North-West can easily travel to Hong Kong without going through Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

Problem is, Macau is depending too much on gambling. A main reason why people travel to Macau is to gamble, and they stay at Macau's hotels. Reliable sources tell me that they are predicting that many people will travel to Macau to gamble but stay in HK's hotels once the bridge is completed. Macau now are building too much hotels and thus if the bridge is completed the hotels will die.

Delta bridge built in 3 years, says Sir Gordon
27 April 2006
South China Morning Post

The tycoon who for the past two decades has advocated a bridge linking Hong Kong with Zhuhai and Macau believes the project will take only three years to complete, with any obstacles resolved in six months.

Hopewell Holdings chairman Sir Gordon Wu Ying-sheung's remarks came a day after Guangdong Development and Reform Commission director Chen Shanru said it was "definitely impossible" for the bridge to be ready within the next five years.

Sir Gordon told a seminar at the University of Science and Technology yesterday that technical aspects of building the bridge posed no problem. "But there are some vested interests in Hong Kong who do not want to see the bridge built," he said.

Analysts said Hutchison Whampoa once feared that if the bridge was built, containers may go to terminals near the new link rather than existing port facilities at Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi, where the company had invested heavily.

And Ho Ming-sze, a close aide to tycoon Henry Fok Ying-tung, who has large investments in piers and port facilities in Nansha and Panyu near Guangzhou, said in 2003 the proposed bridge would not be cost effective.

On Tuesday, Mr Chen, who hopes construction work can start next year, said the project still faced two major obstacles - environmental concerns and the need to work out how to share jurisdiction of the bridge with the two special administrative regions, including the establishment of border checkpoints.

Sir Gordon said he was confident the project could start next year, adding that it would only take three years to complete.

He said the idea of the mainland and both special administrative regions performing immigration and customs checks at a shared checkpoint would be a better option than setting up three separate checkpoints at different ends of the proposed bridge.

【大公報訊】記者袁秀賢廣州十一日電：廣東省省長黃華華今天下午在廣東省政府迎賓廳接見香港廣東社團總會的「廣東省訪問團」一行時表示，下一步將突出在經貿、跨界基礎設施及民生等方面推進粵港合作。其中備受關注的港珠澳大橋建設，前期工作已差不多完成，要向社會招標。

黃華華說，粵港合作這幾年發展很快，到廣東投資的外資當中，有六成來自香港同胞。沒有香港的支持，廣東沒有今天。廣東的發展離不開香港，香港的發展又離不開廣東，唇齒相依，親如手足，關係非常密切。

黃華華還說，這幾年粵港合作成效更好。去年，粵港外貿進出口達到二千九百多億美元，香港佔七成。廣東七成的外貿進出口通過香港出去（包括轉口貿易）；而來自香港的CEPA零關稅進口，佔全國七成；香港個人旅遊中，廣東遊客佔八成。香港廣東社團有許多工商界企業家，在珠三角洲投資，可擴展到東西兩翼。他說，在廣東投資回報絕對好，絕大多數的香港投資者都能掙得錢。

黃華華表示，下一步加大粵港合作力度，將突出在經貿、跨界的基礎設施、民生等五個方面合作，把粵港合作提高到更好的水平、更高的層次。

黃華華還說，跨界的基礎設施合作，粵港兩地頗為關心，需加快進度。西部通道計劃今年底建成，建成後，多了幾個關口，廣東與香港之間的通關更為方便、更通暢。目前，深圳羅湖關是世界第一大關，廣東到香港每天流動約四十萬人，相當於一天移動一個中等城市。

至於穗港深高速鐵路，廣東方面已動工。他說，去年底，廣州到深圳高速鐵路段已經動工，下來香港段的安排，關鍵是路向走向，定下來，就可以加快。這條鐵路建成後，廣州到香港四十分鐘就可以到，人員流動便利。廣深高速鐵路要加快建設。

黃華華透露，備受關注的港珠澳大橋，共二十五個專題，現在完成二十四個，前期工作已差不多，主要是招標。大橋的投資比較大，要靠社會投資，要向社會招標。

倡建隧道 溝通機場屯門

http://www.wenweipo.com/loadImage.phtml?image_filename=/image/2006/05/14/hk0514a7.jpg
胡應湘倡建隧道接連機場及屯門，以防青馬大橋出現問題，香港對外聯繫會斷絕。 資料圖片




【本報訊】(記者 曾少妍)在一個有關「香港會否邊緣化」的論壇上，合和實業主席胡應湘表示，香港應加強與內地基建融合，及繼續發展本土基建，以提升本港競爭力，並倡議興建屯門至機場的隧道，透過未來的西部通道與珠三角進行直接貨物運輸，減低被邊緣化的機會。

　胡應湘昨日在會上表示，內地基建發展迅速，公路系統由79年的零公里發展至今天的3萬公里，能夠與本港青馬大橋媲美的大橋建設也多達50多條；反觀本港大型基建項目卻在97年開始停滯不前。他說，從來沒有一個國家或地區會出現「基建飽和」：「除非你做到無塞車，自來水供應好，污染完全解決，但那個地方叫做人間樂園。」

促建港珠澳橋 減低被邊緣化

　他贊成本港應盡快與內地落實興建港珠澳大橋，相信可減低香港被邊緣化的機會，並促請特區政府發展一條隧道，銜接屯門與國際機場的交通，以防青馬大橋出現問題，癱瘓本港運作。「呢條橋有咩風吹草動，香港對外的聯繫因此斷絕。你想想後果如何？」

　他認為，有關隧道發展既可保證機場運作不受影響，亦可充分發揮機場空運效應，「珠江三角洲的貨物，可以通過西部通道完成直接運輸，這就是發揮經濟效益及效率。」

　他說，自己未有機會與特首曾蔭權提出有關隧道的構思，但坦言昔日向前特首董建華提出後，政府雖說會作研究，但至今卻毫無進展。

　胡應湘又批評當局往往借需求問題妨礙基建發展，反而常聽顧問意見胡亂花錢，「個顧問話迪士尼樂園好喎，一下子便使錢；顧問話機場展覽廳好喎，又使錢落去。」

劉兆佳籲兩地 加強基建融合

　另一與會者中央政策組首席顧問劉兆佳，也認同兩地加強基建融合發展，有助兩地未來整體經濟合作。「我認同要搞好內地經濟融合，基建工程一定要夠，特別是交通運輸。」他重申，無論香港及廣東均存在經濟合作意向，雖然兩地在合作中仍存在競爭，但港人應樂觀面對合作關係。

　他續說，面對長三角崛起的威脅，珠三角發展同樣有迫切性，由於香港在「一國兩制」下存在優勢，相信本港能夠在整個珠三角的發展上發揮重要作用。

　「我相信香港與廣東的合作前景不錯，不要因為港珠澳大橋還未搞掂，就以為兩地發展是勢成水火。應該看整個局面。」

FTU to urge action on cross-border projects
Carrie Chan
20 May 2006
Hong Kong Standard

The troubled Hong Kong-Macau- Zhuhai bridge plan will be brought to the attention of Vice President Zeng Qinghong in the middle of next week by a leading pro-Beijing trade union as part of discussions on a variety of issues relating to cross-border cooperation between the governments of the SAR, Shenzhen and Guangdong province.

Cheng Yiu-tong, chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions and also an Executive Council member, said Friday that they hoped to reflect the urgency required to get these cross-border projects moving again when they meet with central leaders and concerned ministries during a four-day visit to Beijing.

``Some hurdles regarding the bridge plan remain despite a detailed feasibility study and Beijing having given the green light,'' he said.

``It seems to be hampered not by financial problems but some other unresolved disputes.

``There are also other outstanding plagued projects like the Western Corridor, which are falling behind schedule.

``Stronger directives from Beijing on closer cross-border cooperation can help resolve the impasse.''

Meanwhile, Zeng and the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office will be called to rule on the impact of a new regulation barring all drivers over 60 years from using cross-border roads, a ruling which could affect the livelihoods of hundreds of local container truck drivers.

Pollution will also be among the subjects the trade unionists plan to discuss in closed-door talks with central leaders.

Cheng said the federation will suggest to Beijing to gather Guangdong and Hong Kong's environmental chiefs for a stronger push on implementing clean air measures.

``Air quality in the south China region and Hong Kong has been sharply deteriorating as a result of the amount of new cars and the building of over 20 new electricity power plants in Guangdong,'' Cheng said.

``I am worried that if both sides fail to achieve the target for the cross-border clean air program, it will become a laughing stock.''

The FTU delegation will also meet top officials of the Home Affairs Ministry, Social Security Ministry, Labor Ministry and All-China Federation of Trade Unions on labor, social, economic and other outstanding issues on economic integration with China.

``The economic summit this September is a proactive move by Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen in a bid to avoid Hong Kong being overshadowed by the mainland's rapid economic development,'' Cheng added.

``We should adopt a new mind-set of humility for changes.

``It is timely to devise an action plan of strategies to tap into the 11th five- year plan for trade and job opportunities.''

i wonder if mtr will build a line along the bridge after the bridge has finished...

Chief denies standstill over bridge
Michael Ng
Hong Kong Standard
Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam- kuen has denied suggestions that discussions on the proposed mega- bridge linking Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macau are stalemated and insisted that feasibility studies are nearing completion.
In a Radio Television Hong Kong interview Tuesday before he led an 80-strong delegation to Guangxi, he said that because the bridge will straddle three jurisdictions, complications are to be expected but will soon be ironed out.

Tsang's optimism over the 60 billion yuan (HK$58.01 billion) Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai project is in direct contrast with the views of a senior Guangdong official who last month said the bridge will not be ready within the next five years.

The province's Development and Reform Commission director, Chen Shanru, said there are numerous obstacles that need to be resolved, such as environmental concerns, the issue of jurisdiction and establishment of border checkpoints. Because of these, Chen said, there is no likelihood the bridge will be completed within the time frame of the mainland's 11th five-year development plan, which ends in 2010.

But Tsang played down these fears.

"Even our smaller infrastructure projects like the Tamar development sparked various concerns and it took us a lot of time to work on it," he said. "For such a large-scale bridge, which straddles the entire Pearl River Delta and three different jurisdictions, one would expect there to be many technical and financial issues that have to be resolved.

"But we are already close to finishing our feasibility study and once the design of the border checkpoints and the financing issues are resolved, I believe progress will be smoother."

Tsang would not be drawn on whether it is possible that construction will begin next year, but said he expects swift progress once potential investors are satisfied with the bridge's design.

Tsang also spoke of his nine-day Labor Day vacation up north in eastern cities such as Wuxi, Nanjing and Shanghai. He said he was impressed with the Yangtze River Delta development and amazed at the new container terminals in Shanghai.

"I can foresee that it will be difficult for ports in Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta region to capture exports from eastern China," he said.

"The challenge for us is to ensure that Hong Kong container ports have the ability to match the ports in eastern China in future."

Tsang appealed to the local business sector to cooperate with adjacent provinces in the Pearl River Delta to create more business opportunities rather than to get involved in vicious competition.

"The country has clearly positioned Hong Kong as a finance, logistics and trading center," he said.

"In the meantime, we have witnessed swift development in Guangdong, which possibly may take away part of our business opportunities on the mainland.

"But I believe this is a healthy development. We have to further develop our strengths and strive for the best possible opportunities in our regional development."

Tsang said he does not think Hong Kong will be marginalized by the mainland's rapid economic development because the public is aware of possible competition and will not be complacent.

中央支持建港珠澳大橋
港滇首辦一程多站麗江遊
05/06/2006

【本報記者雲南昆明報道】港珠澳大橋遲遲未「拍板」動工，但中央發展和改革委員會副主任杜鷹昨日與特首曾蔭權會面時重申，中央支持興建港珠澳大橋，各方將加緊努力推動。此外，香港與雲南昨日簽訂了一共十三項有關物流及旅遊合作的諒解備忘錄，包括同意以「一程多站」模式，開辦香港與雲南麗江的旅遊路線，預料可吸引更多外國長途旅客到港滇兩地旅遊。

曾蔭權昨日從廣西轉抵雲南昆明，下午與晚上出席了六項官式活動，先後與廣東省省長黃華華、雲南省省長徐榮凱及湖南省省長周伯華會面，重頭戲是與杜鷹的會面。

黃華華讚領導有方
曾、杜會面原定只有四十五分鐘，最終談了近一小時。杜鷹會後表示，與曾蔭權談了共同關心的問題，談得很好。據了解，杜鷹在會上重申中央支持興建港珠澳大橋，各方將加緊努力推動，而曾蔭權則向杜鷹了解「十一五」規劃內容，並介紹了他將會在港舉辦一個「十一五」規劃經濟高峰會。

與黃華華會面時，黃盛讚曾蔭權積極推動「9+2」泛珠三角合作，又指出香港勢頭大好，全靠曾蔭權領導有方，尤其是曾提出的強政勵治，已初見成效，令曾的威望愈來愈高，但他沒有回應是否支持曾蔭權連任。

黃華華又指出粵港未來合作的重點包括加強橫琴區域發展、加快深港西部通道後期工作、積極做好港珠澳大橋前期工作及加強環保、食物生及文化方面的合作。

此外，港滇昨日簽訂了十三項諒解備忘錄，其中七份關於物流業、五份關於旅遊業、一份是麗江市政府與港龍航空公司的合作意向書，爭取早開通香港與麗江之間的直航服務。根據有關諒解備忘錄，香港將與雲南首次開辦「一程多站」的模式旅遊路線，雲南首選的景點是麗江的大研古城、玉龍雪山及四方街等，十一月會舉辦試團，邀請外國旅行社參加。

出席儀式的旅發局主席周梁淑怡表示，許多東南亞國家都有「一程多站」的旅遊路線，現時港滇加強合作，相信可吸引更多外國長途旅客到訪兩地。 http://the-sun.orisun.com/channels/img/endmarker.gif

I wish they'll build the bridges as a clear tube so it can operate during typhoon. That would be cool.

And if the undersea part can be like that too, then people can see the bottom of the sea as they drive through.

Delta boom a win for HK, says Tsang
31 May 2006
South China Morning Post

Hong Kong stands to gain rather than lose out as the government prepares to tackle challenges arising from rapid economic development in the Pearl River Delta, the chief executive says.

While the city might suffer in areas such as logistics and trade, Donald Tsang Yam-kuen said its leading role in aviation and finance remained strong.

He was speaking in an RTHK interview ahead of leading an 80-strong Hong Kong delegation to Guangxi and Yunnan for the Pan Pearl River Delta forum, which starts on Monday.

Mr Tsang believed Hong Kong and the mainland could complement each other, as the two economies were fundamentally different.

"Of course, we are not free of challenges {hellip} Our businesses might be diverted away, such as in the area of logistics and trade. But I am sure this is healthy development," he said.

"The concern is whether our competitiveness could be retained in light of the scale and depth of the rapid development on the mainland. I believe our sense of crisis has been enhanced. I am not very worried that Hong Kong would be marginalised, but I encourage people to face it in a serious manner."

Mr Tsang said Hong Kong's strengths in finance and shipping were unique. He was also upbeat over the city's leading role in the aviation industry in the region. With flights to the mainland continuing to grow, he said there was room for further development.

Mr Tsang denied the government was delaying the proposed bridge linking Hong Kong to Macau and Zhuhai . The project was raised while his predecessor, Tung Chee-hwa, was in office but is still under discussion.

"The scale of the project is huge. Our projects of smaller scale, like Tamar, have caused so much controversy. It's a bridge spanning the Pearl River. Many technical issues are involved."

Mr Tsang yesterday met representatives from professional organisations to discuss opportunities arising from the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement with the mainland and China's 11th Five-Year Programme.

Hong Kong's sustained economic development would depend on whether the service sector could move up the value-added chain and expand its market share on the mainland, he said.

WOW!!!
Beautifull project!!!
:applause:

賈慶林今抵港 帶來三份厚禮
港珠澳橋有突破發展
27/06/2006
太陽報

【本報訊】中央政治局常委、全國政協主席賈慶林今早會從皇崗過境抵港，展開為期三日旋風式的訪港行程。賈慶林到港後隨即到天水圍探訪一位香島中學師的中產家庭，與香港市民作近距離接觸，展現其親民作風。據悉，賈慶林訪港亦會替中央帶來三項重要的「挺港」大禮，除了擴大人民幣業務及合格境內機構投資者（QDII）外，還有港珠澳大橋的突破性發展。

參觀濕地公園 探訪中產家庭
賈慶林昨午已抵達深圳機場，為訪港行程作最後準備，而陪同賈慶林南下的中央官員，包括港澳辦主任廖暉及前商務部副部長安民。據悉，廣東省官員向賈慶林匯報廣東近期的經濟發展及政協工作。

消息稱，賈慶林今日抵港後的首站會到中環金融管理局，然後前往天水圍，參觀濕地公園以及探訪一家中產家庭，屋主是在天水圍香島中學任的職員。今午將於君悅酒店會晤特首曾蔭權，聽取香港的最新情況，今晚到禮賓府出席曾蔭權特別而設的家宴，除特區三名司長外，兩名政協副主席董建華及霍英東也是座上客。

另外，警方將以最高保安級別規格安排保安措施，調動逾千警力在賈慶林所到之處維持秩序，並派出保護要人組 （ G4 ） 及飛虎隊人員，全力保護賈慶林及訪問團的安全。據悉，警方昨分別派出機動部隊、重點搜查隊及水鬼隊，在其下榻的灣仔君悅酒店及會展一帶展開全方位搜查。賈慶林訪港期間，會全程乘坐港府特別安排的寶馬防彈房車出入。

No no, it is definatly not a 面子工程.
It would turn the PRD into a mega metropolis at last!

No no, it is definatly not a 面子工程.
It would turn the PRD into a mega metropolis at last!

I'm agreed to you.

Breakthrough for Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge

HONG KONG, Aug 2, 2006 (AFP) - Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang on Wednesday said he has achieved a breakthrough in talks on plans to build a multi-billion dollar bridge linking south China's Zhuhai city with Hong Kong and Macau.

Tsang said the preparation work for the construction of the bridge will be accelerated and the bridge will have seperate custom clearing systems.

"It's the agreement which represents a breakthrough. It's the agreement on the ways we deal with the custom clearance system," Tsang said following a meeting with top Guangdong officials including its governor Huang Huahua.

He said construction work will proceed as soon as both paries obtained approval from the Chinese government.

Tsang said all goods vehicles going across the bridge must go through customs before entry in order to protect security of the bridge, expected to cost some 31.5 billion yuan (3.8 billion dollars).

"Our determination to proceed with the construction work ... I think we are now seeing the end of the tunnel," he added.

The proposed 29-kilometre (18-mile) bridge is considered a way of easing congestion at border crossings between Hong Kong and mainland China and is also seen as important to Hong Kong's future economic development.

RTHK news:
Breakthrough on proposed HK-Zhuhai-Macau bridge (http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/20060802/news_20060802_56_330586.htm)

--You can listen the speech from the CE.

Milestones for the HZM Megabridge:

1. Agreement reached by local authorities and gov't :
HK, Macau and Zhuhai definitely agreed to pay for the megabridge, but one important criticism is insisted by ShenZhen when she was being ignored in the planning.

2. Approval made by the Central Gov't :
Beijing approved it politically even though there are few adverse criticisms from ShenZhen and Shanghai (Long River Delta), however there are few technical subjects to be tackled:
2.1 Who pay it or how to share it?
The HZM megabridge is a milestone for Chinese infrastrucutre when it led the coming metropolis development in Pearl River Delta, it brings commercial benefits to all three landing areas of HK, Zhuhai and Macau, how to share the construction cost, how to finance it, how to return the economic benefits into the development of Peral River Delta etc are hot subjects to be "agrued".

2.2 Finalisation on the feasibility design.
Bridge? bridge+tunnel? how to accomodate channel for liners? what type of bridge? accomodate railway? how to tackle typhoon? where are the best landing locations?there are hundreds of problems to be resolved. The recent decision on three-area-three-custom is merely a political small move only.

2.3 Who build it or how to share this construction project?
Chinese constructors should think they can build the bridge themself when HK should inclined for international tenders. Deep Bay Link (a bridge linking HK and ShenZhen) is a negative example when the bridge is now delayed for one year that HK and ShenZhen builds their own without close coordination, it is one of the seldom example in HK on the delay of major public facilities.

3. Associated reclamation & highway netwook:
All HK, Macau and Zhuhai do not have suitable land to accomodate the landing capacity therefore reclamation is an unique method; it is also difficult to suddenly load thousands of vehicles onto the current highway network.

4. Licence on usage:
How to control the use of the bridge, it is actually linking three different world! HK always aim at keeping certain distance with Mainland and Macau when the property prices in HK is approx 10~20times of neighboring mainland, a convenient connection may make direct impact on the property price.

e.g. Tung Chung (a new town near the HK landing) residential prices ranging from US$4,850~7,000/m2 while Cotai (the nearest residential area to the Macau proposed landing of Pak On) costs US$2,500/m2 and Zhuhai costs US$800~1200/m2.

Besides property prices, driving licence (vehicle registration) is also important when the Mainland Chinese registration licence worths for US$60,000 and US$20,000 in HK and Macau respectively.

Once the bridge is in effect, what will happen to The Jetfoil?

Airport, bridge deals help HK, China cement ties

HONG KONG, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Hong Kong has advanced a long-debated proposal to build a $6 billion bridge to Macau and the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai and plans to set up a venture to manage Zhuhai's airport, accelerating efforts to tap southern China's economic potential.

Chief Executive Donald Tsang said the city had submitted a detailed proposal to Beijing to build a bridge linking Hong Kong, Zhuhai and the gambling haven of Macau, after years of debate over the project's cost and feasibility.

And Beijing had approved a joint venture between the Hong Kong Airport Authority and Zhuhai's government to jointly manage the Chinese city's airport for 20 years, the authority said.

Hong Kong, Macau and the government of Guangdong province, which houses Zhuhai, had struck an agreement on checkpoints between the regions and customs inspections, Tsang said, allowing work on the bridge to start soon.

"It's the agreement which represents a breakthrough," Tsang said in a statement late on Wednesday, after meeting Guangdong government officials.

"We have also agreed on accelerating the work in preparation for construction of this bridge, and we have agreed that as soon as we have obtained the approval of the central authorities we will proceed with construction."

Hong Kong infrastructure group Hopewell Holdings Ltd.'s chairman, Gordon Wu, said in March that the firm hoped to submit a bid to build the 50 billion yuan (US$6.3 billion) bridge linking Zhuhai, Macau and Hong Kong.

On Thursday, the Hong Kong Airport Authority said it paid 198 million yuan for a 55 percent stake in the venture, which had a registered capital of 360 million yuan.

The venture will pay a franchise fee for the right to manage and operate the Zhuhai Airport.

This is the second China deal made by the airport operator, following its purchase of a 35 percent stake in Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Co. Ltd., which manages Hangzhou Airport, last year for 1.99 billion yuan. (US$1=HK$7.8=7.974 yuan)

Bridge or no bridge, Zhuhai airport deal still a sound investment
4 August 2006
South China Morning Post

"If you analyse what we have said ... particularly on how we should be modelled on the alignment we have already agreed for the bridge, I think we are now seeing the end of the tunnel." Donald Tsang Yam-kuen

IT IS OUR LEADER'S job, you know, to walk a political tightrope while keeping both ears to the ground and his nose to the grindstone. Wouldn't you sometimes tumble over your choice of metaphors, too, if you had to do it?

He may have meant tunnel literally, however. That would be good news indeed, an end to the idea someone else has proposed of building a tunnel from Nansha to somewhere north of the border.

The bridge will go directly to Hong Kong. The tunnel, I suspect, would end in a Guangdong politician's bank account.

But let's have a go at someone else today. The point about this bridge is that it is likely to make a success of the Hong Kong Airport Authority's purchase of a controlling interest in the moribund Zhuhai airport. The Airport Authority's game plan is obvious.

The Zhuhai airport is on the ropes with big debt and scant income. Refinance it, spend a little money to upgrade it to the latest standards, make everyone feel comfortable with the Hong Kong ownership and then bring on the budget airlines that almost everyone in China wants to start up these days.

Even without a bridge, the pitch could work - fly to Zhuhai on the cheap, have a fling at the Macau casinos, take a fast ferry to see Hong Kong, board a train or bus up to Guangzhou and then finish the circle tour back in Zhuhai to fly out on the cheap again.

With a bridge, the stakes in the game go up. The spoke will be in place to a hub in Hong Kong for quick transits between short-haul and long-haul flights, which may mean something as congestion at our airport grows. Zhuhai is also well placed to become an air cargo centre.

It doesn't impress Cathay Pacific's chief operating officer, Tony Tyler, however.

In the latest issue of the airline's in-house rag, he pooh-poohs the idea, saying that Zhuhai can never serve as a "third runway" to Hong Kong as there is too much trouble involved for transit passengers. The two are not complementary.

Hong Kong, he says, should build its own hub strengths, meaning, I suppose, that he would not object so strongly if the link to Zhuhai were by air instead of road and Cathay Pacific or Dragonair had a decent share of the flights.

He makes a political point of it too: "The Airport Authority making a purely financial investment in other airports is one thing. The Government is well represented on the Airport Authority board and can decide whether that is an appropriate way to invest taxpayers' money."

Aw, Tony, I done you wrong. So you really do care about the taxpayers' money after all, do you? And here I thought that Cathay Pacific took an interest only when thinking up schemes for taking money out of the taxpayers' pocket, most recently during tough times for airlines in 2001 and 2003. My heartfelt, humblest, deepest, most profound and abject apologies etc. etc.

But we, with five airports in Pearl River Delta, are not unique. I can think of another urban conglomeration served by five airports connected by road and rail links.

In London, it works quite well. Although one company owns the three biggest, they all compete and are also complementary in their own markets.

Your choice is Heathrow if your company pays, Gatwick if it doesn't, Stansted for a cheap Ryanair holiday to Europe, City Airport for convenience because it's close to the office and Luton I have never used.

Rank them by share of their total passenger market and, as the two charts show, you get roughly the same breakdown as you do for biggest to smallest in the five PRD airports. There are differences I grant you but would British Airways have grounds to object if Heathrow were to take a stake in City Airport?

I am a taxpayer, Tony, and I shall tell you where my interest lies. It is in getting a decent return on my investment in our airport. One way to do that would be to charge Cathay Pacific more for landing rights. Failing this, a reasonable investment in another PRD airport with growth potential will do just fine.

And if you don't happen to have operations in Zhuhai, that's just tough luck for you. As a taxpayer it doesn't bother me.

港珠澳大橋融資 學者倡國際招標
08月 04日 星期五 05:05AM

【明報專訊】擾攘多年的港珠澳大橋，隨粵港合作聯席會議前日商定以「三地三檢」模式進行口岸設置，目前只餘下融資方案有待定奪。有內地學者指出，現時三地政府建議的5個融資方案中，以國際

招標的方式較為理想，但認為三地政府無可避免要在財政上作出支援。

橫跨三地的港珠澳大橋，大橋主體、連接路等成本估計達540億元，考慮中的大橋融資模式共有5個，包括由中央政府牽頭、國家企業控股﹔國際公開招標﹔以及「建造、營運、轉移」（BOT）模式等。

隨三地政府落實採用「三地三檢」的模式，有關融資的討論將會展開。

料各地政府分擔成本

有份參與籌建大橋的中山大學港澳珠江三角洲研究中心教授鄭天祥說，在眾多方案中，以國際招標的方法較為可取。他解釋，私人機構在入標競投大橋的工程時，會盡一切方法減低成本支出，務求以低價中標，故有助減低大橋的成本，「現在估計成本是500多億元，如果財團入標，肯定要低過這個數」。

他又指出，雖然由中央政府牽頭的方案，較容易「擺平」事情，令大橋的工程更為暢順，惟現時國企的管理效率及質素，始終未達標準，方案其實未必可取。不過他肯定，各地政府均要負擔大橋的部分成本，「怎樣都要出一個比例」。

涉三政治主權 不宜由國企控股

城大經濟及金融系副教授李鉅威亦說，現時提出的方案，各有優劣，但因大橋涉及三個不同政治主權，未必適合採用國企控股的模式。他同時指出，大橋的成本高昂，倘政府拒絕出資的話，未必有財團願意入標，故三地政府宜先計算成本效益以及歸本的年期後，各自分擔一定的工程成本。

港珠澳橋融資 自由黨指國企投資可取
08月 05日 星期六 05:05AM

【明報專訊】有投資內地基建經驗的自由黨主席田北俊指出，反對整項港珠澳大橋工程由國家全資擁有，擔心會影響日後的管理運作，「這模式會欠缺市場經濟概念，內地政府方面可能為了減輕成本，聘請較少工人及多用預製組件，這些都不利就業機會，香港立法會也未必贊成」。他認為，由中央政府牽頭、國家企業控股投資模式較為可取。

田北俊表示，港珠澳大橋日後應以市場經濟模式管理，「不希望見到大橋會像以往一些全資由國家擁有的基建般，永遠都很難提高收費，不符合回報」。他提出，自己曾參與一條四川公路的興建工程，當中包括他在內的3家港資、兩家美資和四川省政府，由內地政府出地、企業出錢，「在管理中可作一個平衡，政府一方面監察公路不能隨時加價，但也不能長期不加價，否則難向外資交代，應有合理回報」。

至於另一融資方案「建造營運轉移」 （BOT），他認為，除非中央政府對大橋工程全不認識，否則也不應採納此做法。

另外，行政會議成員梁振英昨日在另一場合表示，港珠澳大橋敲定「三地三檢」後，3地應把精力集中討論融資和可行性研究。

梁振英周一見特首討論CEPA

身兼香港專業聯盟主席的梁振英又說，下周會與其他專業團體一同會見曾蔭權，討論將於10月的施政報告和其他深化CEPA的安排。

^^
Ik begraijp hier gene ruk voan.

^^ Ng g nei gong mud...

LOL!

WHY DONT THEY BUILD AT LEAST ONE LARGE "ICONIC" SPAN TO MAKE THE BRIDGE STAND OUT A BIT MORE???

3x^^ :lol:

I know almost nothing about bridge design, but... I believe causeways are the cheapest method to build something so long? (29km)

Anyhow, the economic impact of this bridge is still hard to determine. Property prices in Hong Kong wont fall drastically initially, since besides property prices, affluence in Macau and even more in Zhuhai greatly contrasts that of Hong Kong. If developers decide to develop lands in Macau/Zhuhai as a cheaper alternative, it may expediate the leveling of real estate prices in the area by attracting Hong Kong residents to live there, bringing their wealth with them. This would adversely affect any further development of virgin lands in Hong Kong. At the same time, it COULD (unlikely) further concentrate the wealth and Hong Kong's status as a prestige city in the region. Either way, the jetfoil probably wont be eliminated, but may be reduced to something of an experience to Macau, if marketed properly as a tourist attraction in its own right.

Either way, tell me what u think, I've never actually studied this stuff, and I'm just blabbing, if there's someone out there who is learned in this field, please advise =)

Tung Chung's residential prices will likely drop if the bridge goes ahead. The price differential with Macau and Zhuhai is far too large.

Gov't Press Release:
Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Task Force starts work (with photos) (http://info.gov.hk/gia/general/200701/09/P200701090229.htm)

This bridge really needs to get going and stop BSing. It is beneficial to all three territories. But I wish railroad were considered as part of the bridge rather than just motor vehicles.

Island fix for stalled bridge
Hong Kong Standard
Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Buying an uninhabited island in mainland waters to build a Hong Kong checkpoint would be a "quick-fix solution" in expediting construction of the trouble-plagued Hong Kong-Zhuhai- Macau bridge, Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen said.
The idea was revealed at a closed- door meeting Tuesday between Tsang and representatives of the Hong Kong Chinese Importers and Exporters Association, and follows his duty visit to Beijing in December.

Tsang also met Election Committee members affiliated to the import export subsector members of the Election Committee to secure their vote in the race to be the next chief executive.

Tsang's confidence in pushing ahead with the multi-billion-dollar project was bolstered after Beijing gave the green light for an ice-breaking meeting headed by the State Council's National Reform and Development Commission vice chairman Zhang Xiaoqiang to discuss ways of getting the long-delayed project off the ground.

Tsang told association members that since the plan to build a joint checkpoint for the three places was dropped because it would involve a vast piece of land, it would be more practical and feasible for Hong Kong to find a site to achieve the agreed "three places, three checkpoints."

At the meeting, Tse Long, a Hong Kong delegate to the Guangdong provincial Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, pressed Tsang to speed up the building of the bridge, quoting Guangdong vice governor Tang Bingquan as saying "everything is now ready" but Hong Kong has still to decide on its checkpoint location.

Tsang said the SAR is very keen to build the bridge, saying that the airport, which is close to the proposed bridge's starting point at San Shek Wan on northern Lantau, had once been picked as a possible site for the checkpoint. The plan was dropped after a study showed there is insufficient land there to house immigration, customs and police facilities.

Tse quoted Tsang as saying that an island in mainland waters would cut out concerns about pollution that could arise from a San Shek Wan checkpoint.

According to a source, Macau Chief Executive Edmund Ho Hau-wah, for his part, has proposed purchasing a site on Hengqin Island off Zhuhai for Macau's checkpoint. Negotiations on the plan are underway between the Macau and Zhuhai municipal governments.

As for the Guangdong checkpoint, it would probably be located at Shangxia Shan in Zhuhai.

Guangdong's future mega infrastructure projects under the 11th five- year plan were thoroughly discussed at a meeting of the provincial CPPCC last week and at a Lunar New Year gathering hosted by party secretary Zhang Dejiang, governor Huang Huahua and executive vice governor Tang Bingquan.

A dozen Hong Kong CPPCC delegates, together with HSBC chairman Vincent Cheng Hoi-chuen, Hopewell Holdings chairman Gordon Wu Ying- sheung, Asia Television executive director and CPPCC Standing Committee member Chan Wing-kee and National People's Congress Standing Committee member Tsang Hin-chi, also attended the gathering in Guangzhou.

According to the source, the estimated cost of the bridge, including checkpoints, buildings and supporting facilities, would be about 51 billion yuan (HK$51.2 billion).

The 51 billion yuan figure comprises 30 billion yuan for the whole bridge, 10 billion yuan for bridges that link up with the checkpoints and the remainder for checkpoints and supporting facilities.

Executive vice governor Tang said the problem of financing has now been resolved, with the three governments agreeing to foot the construction costs equally for the main bridge.

"The executive vice governor of Guangdong told Hong Kong delegates to the provincial CPPCC that the provincial government aims to thrash out all the details of the bridge project soon so that construction work can start at the earliest possible date," the source said.

Tang was also reported to have said that the Western Corridor, which is scheduled to commence operations in July, would be handed over to the SAR government in late May.

A one-month trial run in June for the corridor, which links Shekou in Shenzhen with Tuen Mun, will be held before its official opening July 1 to mark the 10th anniversary of the handover.

Tang also urged the SAR to speed up work on the Hong Kong section of the proposed Hong Kong-Shenzhen express rail link, as Guangdong has already decided to locate the project's main station at Shenzhen's Futian district.

Tang added that a new Guangzhou- Shenzhen super expressway running parallel to the existing six-lane Guangshen expressway will be completed by 2011.

Yuck, I hope they just get on with it soon, and not built just an ugly causeway all the way through.

HK tipped to get lion's share of bridge benefits City to be main beneficiary of delta link: mainland planner
22 June 2007
South China Morning Post

Hong Kong will be the main beneficiary when the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge is up and running, a senior official of the mainland's top planning body said yesterday.

National Development and Reform Commission deputy chairman Zhang Xiaoqiang said a mainland study showed Hong Kong would enjoy 64 per cent of the economic benefit brought by the long-awaited bridge.

But an academic who has studied the issue said his conclusions were exactly the opposite and the Pearl River Delta cities of Zhuhai , Zhongshan and Jiangmen would be the big winners.

The 29km bridge is still at the planning stage despite a decade of negotiations.

Mr Zhang said the mainland study, which projected the economic gain brought by an expected increase in cross-border traffic, also estimated that Guangdong would secure 26 per cent of the benefits and Macau 10 per cent.

"The bridge will be effective in helping Hong Kong expand its hinterland," he said.

But Mr Zhang said this did not necessarily mean Hong Kong should invest more in the bridge's construction because it would be up to companies interested in the project to negotiate a stake.

"Under the principle of attracting more private investment, it will be up to the companies to decide who will contribute more," he said, adding that the governments would be responsible for financing checkpoints and links.

Mr Zhang is also head of a special taskforce set up by the State Council late last year after the plan became bogged down by disputes over issues such as the location of checkpoints and the sharing of the construction costs, estimated at US$3.7 billion.

He said some consensus had been achieved after several meetings between representatives from the three governments, but there was still no timetable.

The governments have agreed to set up three separate border control systems instead of one shared checkpoint, as preferred by the Hong Kong government. This has brought criticism that the arrangement is a step back from the shared checkpoint system used for the Western Corridor across Deep Bay.

Mr Zhang said the decision was taken because the bridge was much more complex than the Western Corridor, which will open on July 1.

Tuan Chyau, a professor in Chinese University of Hong Kong's faculty of business administration, said his findings indicated that Guangdong cities would benefit most.

"The bridge will bring Zhuhai, Zhongshan and Jiangmen closer to Hong Kong, and foreign direct investment in these cities is expected to rise dramatically," he said.

Professor Tuan said it was also not clear whether the logistics sector in Hong Kong would benefit greatly from the bridge because Shenzhen's Yantian port was so competitive that its cargo business was expected to overtake Hong Kong's next year.

Zheng Tianxiang, an infrastructure studies professor at Sun Yat-sen University, said the main bridge would be built by a private consortium through the design-and-build process, so the three governments would only have to invest in their sections that connected to the main bridge.

"There shouldn't be an argument over whether Hong Kong should pay more; it is commercial procedure that it should be the consortium that decides the toll and the period to recover the cost," he said.

A spokesman for the Environment, Transport and Works Bureau said the computation of the economic benefits of the bridge depended on many assumptions and planning parameters.

Land to be reclaimed for bridge crossing 100 hectares needed for Lantau checkpoint
11 July 2007
South China Morning Post

The government is planning to reclaim up to 100 hectares off northern Lantau for the construction of a control point for the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, which green groups fear could cause irreversible environmental damage.

The amount of land required - 21/2 times the size of the West Kowloon cultural district - would make it the largest reclamation project since Penny's Bay was reclaimed for Disneyland in 2000.

Environmentalists say the marine ecology - from endangered Chinese white dolphin to rare horseshoe crab habitats - might be affected and the remaining untouched coastline on north Lantau would be spoiled.

Sources close to the government said it had initially been estimated that 90 to 100 hectares would be needed to accommodate the immigration and customs facilities - similar in size to those at the new Deep Bay border crossing - as the bridge would bring heavy traffic, particularly freight, across the border.

While officials had no definitive plans for where to put the control point, they admitted there were few options, the sources said.

Because of the shortage of flat land along the northern Lantau coast there seemed little choice other than reclamation. The sources said one option was to build the control point on a piece of land at the entrance of the Tai Ho Valley, part of which has been designated a site of special scientific interest for its freshwater stream ecology. Another option was the sea off Sha Lo Wan.

It remained unknown how the new facilities would fit in with the logistics park or Container Terminal 10, which are also proposed for the northern or western Lantau shore.

The sources said transport officials had recently "restarted" stakeholder consultations about the 35km bridge spanning the Pearl River mouth, hoping to gauge public sentiment about reclamation options.

The reclamation became necessary after Hong Kong and the mainland last year ruled out building joint immigration facilities for the three jurisdictions on reclaimed land near Macau. Instead, each would be responsible for building the facilities in their own territory.

"It seems to be a very big area indeed, and doubtless a far more costly option than the single facility at Deep Bay. It will be very difficult to shoe-horn this [facility] in without causing yet more environmental damage," Green Lantau Association spokesman Clive Noffke said.

Instead, Mr Noffke proposed building an island east of the airport, saying this would avoid taking up coastal land, help move the bridge away from Tung Chung and enable a direct connection to the proposed Chek Lap Kok-Tuen Mun link.

A Transport and Housing Bureau spokeswoman would not comment on the size of the control point or the reclamation it would require, saying it was being studied as part of the feasibility study for the bridge. A detailed proposal for the location and arrangement of the facilities would be drawn up in due course.

Reclamation again... isn't there another way?

Reclamation again... isn't there another way?

Not as this particular area in the northern Lantau. The whole northern Lantau shore is bare rock and cliff. The mountain just goes right into the sea without any flatten at all.

The North Lantau Expressway and Airport Express were built on reclaimed land which extended the north Lantau shoreline half a mile north compares to the original one.

The only open area in the area that is big enough to for the boarder control is the reclaimed land northeast of Tung Chung where has been planned for other use as described in the article. In fact, I think that piece of land is at a awkward location for a boarder control facility.

The whole idea of having the joint immigration facility just off the coast of Zhuhai and Macao before is because there is lack of flat land and water is a lot deeper to reclaim in Hong Kong side. But unfortunately, the idea was turned down by the Guangdong provience govenment.

Well let's hope the reclamation is going to be reasonable enough and the Green people are going to be reasonable as well... As far as I'm concerned, the Green people are only worried about not interrupting any natural environment but that could mean nothing can be built anywhere...
Besides, I guess we needed some of that land for a possible container port plus other infrastructure needed to strengthen HKIA's influence... let's face it... we get some, we lose some

港珠澳橋擬建高架連接路
30/08/2007
東方日報

【 本 報 訊 】 粵 港 澳 三 地 政 府 仍 在 商 議 港 珠 澳 大 橋 的 興 建 事 宜 ， 規 劃 署 聘 請 顧 問 所 做的 環 評 報 告 指 ， 日 後 會 有 道 路 連 接 港 珠 澳 大 橋 及 北 大 嶼 山 公 路 ， 為 避 免 北 大 嶼 山 居民 受 噪 音 問 題 困 擾 ， 報 告 認 為 有 關 連 接 路 以 海 面 高 架 形 式 建 造 ， 能 對 附 近 住 宅 構 成較 小 影 響 。 報 告 又 指 ， 香 港 汽 車 會 建 議 在 小 蠔 灣 大 嶼 山 物 流 園 闢 設 賽 車 場 會 加 劇 空氣 污 染 問 題 。

對 於 香 港 汽 車 會 早 前 建 議 在 小 蠔 灣 大 嶼 山 物 流 園 闢 設 賽 車場 ， 報 告 指 建 議 將 令 噪 音 音 量 進 一 步 提 高 ， 且 令 整 體 車 輛 廢 氣 排 放 量 大 幅 增 加 ， 故必 須 先 就 潛 在 的 噪 音 及 空 氣 問 題 進 行 影 響 評 估 ， 顧 問 指 倘 評 估 結 果 顯 示 在 噪 音 及 空氣 方 面 影 響 不 可 接 受 ， 便 不 可 再 進 行 該 計 劃 。

^^ translate ? :lol:

^^ translate ? :lol:

Planning Department of Hong Kong is considering the construction of the proposed connection between HK-Macao-Zhuhai Brigde and Northern Lantau Link to be built over water body off the shore to minimize the noise impact on Tung Chung residents according to suggestions found by the project's environmental impact study.

The study also briefly reviewed the noise and air pollution impact of a racing course proposed by the Hong Kong Automobile Club in the Logistic Park just next to Tung Chung. A more in depth is needed to further review the noise and air pollutions due to the racing course beside the HK-Macao-Zhuhai Bridge in order to proceed.

thanks :)

港珠澳橋港口岸提三選址
15/09/2007
http://the-sun.on.cc/channels/img/tsn_menu_left.gif

http://the-sun.on.cc/channels/news/20070915/img/a40915b_big.jpg

【本報訊】港府最近完成了擾攘多年的港珠澳大橋香港口岸落腳點的研究，提出三個可行選址，新口岸整體面積約為九十至一百公頃，以容納各項口岸的整體面積及車輛緩衝區。離島區議員期望大橋可以盡快興建，期望創造就業機會之餘，亦可以促進大嶼山的旅遊發展，但大橋上馬仍然遙遙無期。

建人工島最遠離民居
港珠澳大橋將採三地三檢，港府早前委聘顧問工程公司，為香港口岸選址及布置進行研究。研究認為機場島以西地區，例如沙螺灣、　石灣一帶具考古價值，亦鄰近中華白海豚活躍地帶，選址需十分小心，建議在機場島西面的水域興建人工島作為新口岸，該方案既遠離大嶼山民居，亦遠離海豚活躍區，但由於要滿足航空高度，連接該方案的高架橋需大幅扭曲及延長，工程難度大增。

至於在機場航天城東面水域填海興建口岸的建議，該地點遠離東涌市鎮及生態敏感地區，噪音及廢氣不會影響居民，而且鄰近機場，可與機場互相配合，但由於需要重置機場沿岸設施，包括海天客運碼頭及海運碼頭，口岸建造時間較長。

顧問提出第三個方案，於大嶼山物流園選址西面填海興建港方口岸，配合擬建的物流園及小蠔灣交通樞紐，但該方案與大蠔灣排水口距離只有一百米，需進一步研究會否對大蠔灣水質及生態影響，而且該選址亦不便旅客往返機場。

離島區議會下周三召開特別會議討論港府提出三個方案，並會審議新界西北交通運輸基建檢討的最新進展。

東面水域少滋擾海豚
世界自然基金會香港分會高級環保主任梁士倫不希望在機場島西面興建新口岸，因為該區為中華白海豚活躍區，擔心工程會對海豚造成不良影響。

離島區議員容詠嫦支持在航天城東面水域興建新口岸，因為該區遠離海豚保育區，而且可連接日後興建的屯門西繞道，有助帶動區內的就業及旅遊發展。

This project has was proposed so long ago and its still being planned, it would be an awesome landmark if they decide to build it. Keep the updates coming

Yeah it is very ambitious plan, if this was realise within 5 years, it will be a remarkable feat to achieve. To minimize obstruction to the water but an more expensive option is to build a tunnel across to Zhuhai.

Other users in the forum has pointed out about the potential for more toll duties/ charges going from HK, Macao or Zhuhai. The other issue is that HK and Macao are driving on the left and Zhuhai drives on the right. There would have to be very many road interchanges to switch the traffic. It would be simpler to go to Macao and then have a diverting traffic to Zhuhai, then you can do one switch in traffic and reduce toll charges.

Proposals for landing point revealed
Hong Kong Standard
Monday, September 17, 2007

The government has suggested three landing points for the proposed Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge, with two of them requiring reclamation work.

According to an Islands District Council paper obtained by Headline Daily - sister paper of The Standard - the Highways Department said a 100-hectare, entry-and-exit point is needed to accommodate sufficient immigration, inspection and transport facilities.

It proposed either building an artificial island to the west of the airport island; reclaiming the northeastern part of the island; or undertaking reclamation at the western part of a logistics park planned for north Lantau.

But, according to the paper, there are drawbacks to all three options.

For the artificial island option, the design of the bridge would be more complicated in order to facilitate the movement of aircraft and ships. Buildings around the site may also affect air currents, having adverse effects on aircraft take-offs and landings.

For the second option, it would lengthen construction time as all the facilities along the coast of the airport island may have to be moved.

For the third option, since there would only be 100 meters between the reclamation area and Tai Ho Wan, a place with high ecological value, assessment of the impact on water quality and ecology would be needed.

The paper said the latter two options would bring more economic benefits. As the site for the second option is close to the airport, this would facilitate passenger movement between the entry- and-exit point and the airport. For the third option, since the site is near the logistics park, cargo movement would be easier.

Islands District Council vice chairwoman Chau Chuen-heung said she preferred the first option as the route would be more direct if the site and the airport island are adequately linked.

The other two options would mean a detour round the airport island to travel from the entry-and-exit point to the airport, which is not time and cost effective, she said.

The proposals will be discussed at a meeting of the Islands District Council on Wednesday.

Site to east of airport backed for bridge
20 September 2007
South China Morning Post

A 100-hectare reclamation project on Lantau Island, northeast of the airport, is favoured by the government for the landing point of the proposed Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge.

It is one of three options - unveiled for the first time yesterday - for boundary-crossing facilities at the Hong Kong end of the planned 35km bridge across the mouth of the Pearl River. The others include a site west of the airport and one close to Tai Ho Bay.

No date has been set for a start on the HK$30 billion project, with talks among the three involved governments, which started in 2003, bogged down over financing.

The shortlist of options for the Hong Kong landing point, selected after a five-month study, were presented to the Islands District Council yesterday.

The government said the northeast site was favoured because it was 2km away from Tung Chung town, meaning there would be no noise and air quality impact on residents.

It also would not affect the Lantau shoreline, airport channel, dolphin habitats, or the ecologically sensitive Tai Ho Bay, and was away from a geologically complex area of undersea cavities to the west.

The proposal received a mixed response from councillors.

Highways Department project manager Cheng Ting-ning said the close proximity between the checkpoint and the airport would enable the two developments to work together for "synergy and greater convenience to passengers". It could also integrate with the proposed Tuen Mun-Chek Lap Kok Link.

But the disadvantage was that it might require reprovisioning of facilities on the shoreline of the airport island, including SkyPier and the Marine Cargo Terminal so it would take longer to build than the other two options.

Several council members said a site to the west of the airport would enhance the entire development of Lantau Island.

But the government said three possible sites to the west, looked at during the study, would have affected aircraft landing and taking off, and an archaeological site at San Shek Wan.

It added that the site close to Tai Ho Bay was ecologically sensitive and passengers would need to take a longer route to and from the airport and the northwest New Territories.

A consultant appointed to study the issue said that as the three governments had decided on separate checkpoints and holding areas rather than one joint facility, a reclamation of 90 to 100 hectares was needed.

Tam Hon-choi, Highways Department chief engineer and also responsible for the bridge project, said the consultation process had started to gauge public opinion on the options.

Mr Tam said a detailed environmental impact assessment would be conducted after a consensus was reached about the site location.

HK Policy Address for this year:

(5) Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge:
The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge is a priority project. As a major strategic cross-boundary project, it is unprecedented in terms of scope, scale and complexity. The efforts made by the three governments involved are gradually bearing fruit. We have completed the engineering feasibility studies for over 20 project items. A remaining task is to finalise the financial arrangements. We aim to complete the financial arrangements in the near future and convene an expert group meeting to scrutinise the report. This will serve as the basis for discussion over specific investment and financing arrangements by the three governments at the next stage.
We have also made much effort on site investigation of the connecting roads in Hong Kong. Following the principle of "separate locations of boundary crossing facilities" agreed by the three parties, we have commenced the site selection study in Hong Kong and are collecting public views. I hope that we will have your support.

港珠澳大橋將建人工島
28/10/2007
http://the-sun.on.cc/channels/img/endmarker.gif

【本報訊】 港珠澳大橋即將展開海中橋及隧道主體工程補充地質勘察，工程費用會由香港、珠海和澳門三地政府攤分，三地政府亦傾向大橋落成後採用三地三檢方式運作，由各地區直接管理自己區域的出入境口岸。

內地網易新聞中心消息稱，港珠澳大橋在三地的落腳點，分別位於香港大嶼山散石灣、澳門明珠及珠海拱北。內地發出的《港珠澳大橋海中橋隧道主體工程補充工程地質勘察資格預審公告》，顯示大橋主體跨海總長度約三十五公里，海底隧道長約六點七五公里，橋樑長度為二十九公里。

設三地三檢口岸
為配合車輛需要在橋樑與隧道之間轉換路線，工程會建設兩個分別長一千米、寬一百米的海中人工島。海中橋隧道主體工程和珠海連接線會按六車道高速公路標準興建，澳門口岸與大橋連接部分則採用四車道設計，至於香港與澳門連接的通道則尚待研究。

此外，港珠澳大橋會配備三個三地三檢的口岸，分別設於香港、澳門及珠海近岸的三個人工島。港珠澳大橋會在今年稍後時間分階段動工，二○一五年建成，車速限制為八十公里。當大橋通車後，三地居民通過大橋往返香港與澳門或珠海，車程不需三十分鐘。

本港運輸及房屋局局長鄭汝樺昨在電台節目稱，港珠澳大橋融資方案已進入最後階段，未來幾個月會與各方密切商討。至於以專用通道興建的廣深港高速鐵路，初步傾向以契約方式租予鐵路公司營運，特區政府正與內地探討在西九龍車站，實行一地兩檢的可行性。

北方的桥都是内陆桥 立交桥 没有南方沿海的好看啊

RTHK News:
CE seeks mainland help for talks on funding HK-Zhuhai-Macau bridge (http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/20071123/news_20071123_56_448694.htm)

HK must mesh with mainland rail network or else, says business chief
14 January 2008
South China Morning Post

Hong Kong lacks "sensitivity" in railway development and could be marginalised if it fails to catch up with the mainland's fast-growing transport networks, the head of the Greater Pearl River Delta Business Council and Airport Authority chairman Victor Fung Kwok-king says.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Dr Fung reiterated that the proposed cross-delta bridge must have a railway to further speed up passenger flows and logistics in the region.

He called for early completion of the proposed bridge connecting Hong Kong with Zhuhai and Macau.

"We are expecting a dramatic increase in cross-border traffic. If we build the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge, a rail link is a must," Dr Fung said.

"The rail system in the country is developing at an amazing speed and we should think about what its impact on our economic development will be. The country is pushing passenger flows between major cities on high-speed trains while using the remaining capacity for cargo. The rail system is now massive.

"In Hong Kong, we always talk about road links, air links and sea links. But we don't have adequate sensitivity in rail links. I never believed Hong Kong would be marginalised, but we could be if we are not careful in rail-link development."

Dr Fung, chairman of the Li and Fung Group, has headed the Greater Pearl River Delta Business Council since 2004. It advises the chief executive on co-operation between Hong Kong and Guangdong.

The cross-delta bridge project has been dragging on for years. The idea of building a railway with the bridge has been suggested but the government has never committed itself to including it.

After the 10th working meeting of the Hong Kong/Guangdong Co-operation Joint Conference in Guangzhou on Tuesday, the Hong Kong government said 20 studies had been completed under the feasibility study of the bridge project.

Both sides agreed to strive for early implementation of the project.

Dr Fung said another key project that could bring Hong Kong closer to the Pearl River Delta was the Regional Express Line connecting the city with Guangzhou. The link, expected to be completed by 2014, will shorten the journey between the two cities from two hours to 48 minutes.

Another proposed railway linking Hong Kong and Shenzhen airports would shuttle commuters between the two aviation centres in 18 minutes.

"You could check in at one point and get on a flight in another," Dr Fung said.

"We serve different markets. Hong Kong cannot provide daily flights to a second-tier city like Zhengzhou ; we don't have such a market. But the market for domestic flights in Shenzhen is very big. Shenzhen does not have many international flights, but we do. We can complement each other, totally."

Chief Secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen said last month that a rail link would be the best way to boost ties between the two cities' aviation sectors. Two joint taskforces will be set up soon - one to study inter-airport co-operation and the other to look at development of the Lok Ma Chau Loop.

Reviewing Pearl River Delta development since the handover, Dr Fung said he was glad to see an increasing awareness of a regional perspective among Hongkongers.

"Hong Kong has to view itself as being at the heart of a population of 40 million. If we don't have a vision of an economy of this size, we cannot {hellip} compete globally.

"Ten years after the handover, people's mindset about the Pearl River Delta has changed.

"When I first talked about the greater delta five or six years ago, some people did not know what I was talking about. But now no one questions this direction."

Delta bridge link to get priority, says Guangdong planning chief
19 January 2008
South China Morning Post

Guangdong's top planning official has announced that the provincial government will do its utmost to hasten the launch of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge.

The project, linking Hong Kong to the western part of the Pearl River Delta, has long been delayed.

Li Miaojuan , director general of Guangdong's Development and Reform Commission, said the bridge was a key infrastructure project for this year.

Ms Li said she would meet the secretary for transport and housing, Eva Cheng Yu-wah, soon to discuss details for speeding up the project.

"We will try our best to bring forward the starting date for bridge construction as the project is favourable for Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong," she said.

Ms Li said several key research projects for the bridge would be conducted in June. The impact of the bridge on coastal ecosystems would be one issue examined.

The provincial government would also keep researching issues such as funding and location of the bridge control point.

Ms Li said the matter of deciding where investment would come from was still being discussed by the three governments involved.

Guangdong wanted private companies to invest in the project rather than government funding, she said. "But we are still waiting to reach an agreement."

The idea of a link between Hong Kong and the delta was floated two decades ago but the plan has been dogged by controversy surrounding the exact location of the bridge, its environmental impact, and which authority or authorities would have jurisdiction over it.

In 2003 a consensus was reached between Hong Kong and Guangdong to build a Y-shaped bridge linking the three points after the central government gave its support.

Thats a whole lotta nothing said

There are a lot of questions over this link's viability. It's supposed to open up the western side of the delta, which until now has been relatively slow to develop compared to the eastern side, but that is also a reason why not to build a link to nowhere. It'll lose money.

This project seems like a lot of hot air, they've been saying the bridge is needed for eons and its still at the 'we don't know how to do it' stage.

However, should it actualize, it'll be the coolest bridge/tunnel connection ever!

This project seems like a lot of hot air, they've been saying the bridge is needed for eons and its still at the 'we don't know how to do it' stage.

However, should it actualize, it'll be the coolest bridge/tunnel connection ever!

I think the biggest problem is the justification of such an enormous cost when the western part of the delta isn't so developed to warrant the traffic. However, Hong Kong's links with Macau should bring quite a lot of traffic on this bridge.

Build it and they will come :)

Deal struck for bridge over delta, says Beijing
17 February 2008
South China Morning Post

Twenty years after it was first proposed, the Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai bridge is about to become a reality, a senior mainland official was quoted saying yesterday.

The Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong governments had reached preliminary agreement on financing for the project, Bi Jingquan , vice-chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), was quoted as saying.

The bridge, which is expected to cost HK$60 billion, had been listed as a national infrastructure project, Sir Gordon Wu Ying-sheung quoted Mr Bi as telling a closed-door briefing for Hong Kong delegates to the nation's parliament and its top political advisory body.

Tendering for construction of the bridge across the Pearl River Delta would begin soon, said Sir Gordon, who came up with the idea for the bridge in the 1980s and has championed the project relentlessly.

Discussions on another Pearl River Delta infrastructure project, the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong express rail link, were also proceeding smoothly, others present quoted Mr Bi as saying at the briefing session in Zhuhai for newly elected National People's Congress delegates and Chinese People's Political Consultative Congress members.

Sir Gordon, a CPPCC member, is chairman of property and construction group Hopewell Holdings. He said Hopewell would bid to build the project. He also confirmed part of the cross-delta link would be in a tunnel to avoid disruption to marine traffic.

The NDRC said in July that the three jurisdictions would between them pay a third of the project's cost, while the successful bidder would provide the rest of the money in return for a franchise to operate the toll bridge for up to 50 years.

The Transport and Housing Bureau said yesterday it would be arranging another meeting soon with Macau and Guangdong officials about preparatory works for the Y-shaped, 36km bridge, which is expected to run from San Shek Wan in Lantau to Gongbei in Zhuhai and A Perola in Macau.

Vehicle operators need special licences to cross to and from the mainland. Sir Gordon said Beijing was considering letting non-licensed vehicles use the bridge, with car parks at each border control point where drivers could switch to locally licensed vehicles for onward travel.

But Zheng Tianxiang, professor of infrastructure studies at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, said such an arrangement might deter use of the bridge, especially by tourists.

"Suppose I am a mainland father of four driving my family to Hong Kong's Disneyland. I have to park my cars after arriving and switch to public transport with my kids and luggage," Professor Zheng said. "Why shouldn't I save myself trouble and money by choosing a direct cross-boundary coach?"

Only 50,000 vehicles are licensed to cross the Hong Kong-mainland and Macau-mainland borders. Professor Zheng worried the bridge could share the fate of the Western Corridor, a Hong Kong-Shekou bridge, and Deep Bay Link approach road built at a cost of HK$7.8 billion. Since it opened in July, fewer than sixth the number of vehicles expected had used the bridge.

Ricky Wong Kei, who represents Hong Kong owners of cross-border trucks, said the idea could cut costs, but also profits, since cargo owners could switch loads to cheaper mainland trucks at the Zhuhai border.

Bridge to Macau, Zhuhai offers benefits all round
17 February 2008
South China Morning Post

Hong Kong may only have a population of around 7 million but, 10 years after the handover, we should be accustomed to thinking of ourselves as part of the Pearl River Delta - with its population of 50 million. The city's future lies in closer ties with its hinterland, of which the delta region is the most significant area. Building a bridge linking Hong Kong with Macau and Zhuhai will be a big step towards integration with this vast regional economy.

Talks on the project have dragged on for years. The enthusiasm of Hong Kong and the central government for the bridge was apparently not shared by the Guangdong provincial authorities. Too often, Hong Kong and other cities in the delta region see themselves as rivals, not potential partners. However, in October, Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen was confident enough to include the bridge among the 10 key infrastructure projects he foreshadowed in his policy address as measures to foster economic growth. It now appears the government's negotiations with authorities in Macau and across the border have borne fruit.

It emerged yesterday from a preparatory meeting in Zhuhai for Hong Kong deputies of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference that tendering for the bridge's construction could start soon. According to conference member and infrastructure tycoon Gordon Wu Ying-sheung, details of how to finance the project are being finalised and will be announced soon. Other people attending the meeting said planning for an express rail link connecting Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong, another of the 10 projects Mr Tsang spoke of in October, was on track, with construction due to start next year.

If confirmed, the developments will give a great boost to the city's integration with the rest of the delta region. Whatever its final alignment, the bridge will tie Hong Kong closer to western Guangdong. It will dramatically reduce the time it takes to travel between the city and the far side of the Pearl River. It seems Guangdong officials have, sensibly, taken the view that the region's economic pie is growing and its benefits big enough for all to share.

As Mr Tsang noted in his policy address, the project's scope and scale make its construction a complex undertaking. Sir Gordon said part of the link would be in a tunnel to avoid impeding marine traffic. Many difficult hurdles must, therefore, be overcome. Its financing, for example, must be fair and deliver equal benefits to all three sides. While Hong Kong has been more keen on building a bridge than either of its partners, it would not be reasonable for it to bear a disproportionate share of the costs.

The bridge and the express rail line will need efficient customs and immigration channels. Safety will need to be considered carefully. And for Hong Kong, the bridge's environmental impact on Lantau could be significant, given that the outlying island is its likeliest starting point.

A forest of skyscrapers has already sprung up in Tung Chung new town. Disneyland will expand and attract more mainland visitors. The number of passengers passing through the airport is growing every year. Planners, therefore, must take care to minimise the adverse impact on the island of building the bridge.

Still, all these issues can be overcome with proper planning and foresight. And the cross-delta bridge, once built, will benefit all sides.

Mega project can be bridge to share price rise
Hong Kong Standard
Thursday, February 21, 2008

After 25 years of debate, the Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai Bridge project has received the support of the National Development and Reform Commission.
Tendering for the HK$60 billion project begins soon.

Gordon Wu Ying-sheung, chairman of Hopewell Holdings (0054), is planning to make a bid to build the 29-kilometer bridge.

This news can benefit Hopewell shares, whose price has undergone a healthy 20 percent correction since September.

Hopewell is engaged in infrastructure projects, property development and investment, and it has a hand in property agency management and hotels.

For the financial year ended June 2007, net profit jumped 17 percent to HK$2.63 billion. Its flagship Hopewell Centre reported 94 percent occupancy.

QRE Plaza in Wan Chai and the EMax shopping and entertainment complex in Kowloon Bay will help to raise rental income to 50 percent of recurring income by 2010. Its stake in Nova City in Macau, sold in December, is expected to generate a profit of HK$4.2 billion.

Nomura rates Hopewell as a strong buy with a fair value of HK$44.19 - a 30 percent upside from the price now, which is 26 percent discount to net asset value. Merrill Lynch rates it a "buy."

JPMorgan recommends the company's infrastructure and toll road arm, Hopewell Highway Infrastructure (0737). The potential upside will be realized from its possible participation in the HK- Zhuhai-Macau Bridge project.

Dr Check and/or The Standard bear no responsibility for any investment decision made based on the views expressed in this column.

Hong Kong to foot 50pc of bridge cost
Hong Kong Standard
Wednesday, February 27, 2008

The Hong Kong government is expected to foot 50 percent, after deduction of private developer funding, of the cost of building the Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai bridge, a source told The Standard's sister newspaper, Sing Tao Daily.

According to the source, the financing of the bridge is expected to be finalized tomorrow.

The Macau and Guangdong governments will also contribute towards the cost.

The source said officials of the three territories have nearly reached consensus on the financing issue.

Major works of the bridge have been estimated to cost 30 billion yuan (HK$32.7 billion) to 40 billion yuan.

The source said as the bridge will be built under the build-operate- transfer model. But if the bidders are unable to fully fund the building cost, the rest of the cost will be shared among the three governments.

The sharing proportion will be determined by the degree of economic benefits gained by each city.

Since Hong Kong will benefit the most, it will bear around 50 percent of the cost but the source did not detail how much Guangdong and Macau have to contribute.

RTHK News:
Funding agreed for HK-Macau-Zhuhai bridge (http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/20080228/news_20080228_56_471656.htm)

Deal struck on delta bridge financing

http://www.news.gov.hk/en/category/infrastructureandlogistics/080228/html/080228p038jpg.jpg

Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macau have reached a consensus on the financing of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge's construction, with Hong Kong responsible for 50.2%, the Mainland 35.1% and Macau 14.7%, Secretary for Transport & Housing Eva Cheng says.



Speaking after the Bridge Advance Work Co-ordination Group's eighth meeting in Guangzhou today, Ms Cheng - also the group convenor - said the three sides have agreed to share the subsidy amount by adhering to the principle of equalisation of cost-to-benefit ratios which takes into account the economic benefits to each side.



With this major progress, Ms Cheng said the group can start preparation for the tendering by investors which will be conducted in the form of unified financing.



Subject to the bid amount, Ms Cheng hoped the exact subsidy would be as little as possible. To avoid affecting the tender process, cost estimates will not be disclosed.



Construction, operation

The three governments will be responsible for the construction and operation of the boundary crossing facilities and the connecting roads to the bridge within their own territory. The connecting roads are about 12.6km on the Hong Kong side, and 13.9km on the Mainland side.



The bridge's main body will be about 29.6km. To the west, it will land on an artificial island off Gongbei. To the east, it will land on an artificial island for the tunnel section.



It will be built according to the six-lane expressway standard with a vehicle speed of 100km per hour. To ensure unimpeded sea traffic of the main navigation channels towards Guangzhou and Shenzhen ports, there will be a tunnel linking up the two artificial islands which will provide bridge/tunnel switching facilities.



Ms Cheng added engineering and technical studies will start as soon as possible.



The group was briefed on the bridge's feasibility study findings and today discussed the financing arrangements and the next stage of work.

I was wondering do Hong Kong people really want this bridge? I was talking to this person at work from Hong Kong, and was saying how HK is meant to benifit the most from this bridge, but he said thats just what the mainland media says, and that the bridge would probably further diminish HK's already diminished status. I suppose the bridge would make it easier to take resources away from HK?

So what do the people of HK really feel about this bridge?

If the people of Hong Kong do think that way then it's going to be like watching the people of Hong Kong shoots themselves in the foot again like during the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis when they played up the doom and gloom scenario that they said was going to happen after the handover but never did and thus scared off investment and put HK into a slump.

What are they trying to save themselves from? Making it easier to get to and from Macau and Hong Kong? Are the people Hong Kong afraid of losing identity from the rise of Macau? Macau is small. There's a lot of capacity Macau can't handle for the near future. If Hong Kong doesn't want to benefit then I'm sure Zhuhai will gladly reap all the rewards.

I was wondering do Hong Kong people really want this bridge? I was talking to this person at work from Hong Kong, and was saying how HK is meant to benifit the most from this bridge, but he said thats just what the mainland media says, and that the bridge would probably further diminish HK's already diminished status. I suppose the bridge would make it easier to take resources away from HK?

So what do the people of HK really feel about this bridge?


If the people of Hong Kong do think that way then it's going to be like watching the people of Hong Kong shoots themselves in the foot again like during the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis when they played up the doom and gloom scenario that they said was going to happen after the handover but never did and thus scared off investment and put HK into a slump.

What are they trying to save themselves from? Making it easier to get to and from Macau and Hong Kong? Are the people Hong Kong afraid of losing identity from the rise of Macau? Macau is small. There's a lot of capacity Macau can't handle for the near future. If Hong Kong doesn't want to benefit then I'm sure Zhuhai will gladly reap all the rewards.


Indifference. The western part of the delta is not that well developed, and I agree that this bridge will open up that zone for development, and have its goods go through Hong Kong for export rather than have them route to Shenzhen or Guangzhou. Macau is a key regional partner for Hong Kong, so a bridge link would save a lot of travel time.

This project is unlikely going to drain away Hong Kong's competitiveness either. The point is people from the western side of the delta can reach Hong Kong more easily. Macanese can now access HK Airport and fly out to international destinations, while at the same time Hong Kongers can use Macau's airport if they want to fly cheap to a limited number of destinations.

Besides, the government has plenty of money to build this bridge all by themselves. It's not exactly a deadly blow to the local coffers at all.

When realized, Hongkongnese can faster lose their profits in Macao's casinos, though I don't think they'll play contract bridge there :)

RTHK News:
HK-Macau-Zhuhai bridge to cost 42.2 billion yuan (http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/news.htm?englishnews&20080308&56&473794)

--That's around US$5.94 Billion.

「大橋36年半回本」
黃華華﹕港珠澳橋造價422億人民幣
2008年3月9日

http://www.mingpaonews.com/20080309/09GBX.gif

【明報專訊】每程收費 學者料300元

廣東省長黃華華昨日透露，港珠澳大橋的主體工程將耗資422億人民幣，以招標形式統一建設，預計要收費50年，36年半之後可收回成本，他還說，廣東省將抓緊完成前期工作，爭取盡快動工。有本港學者估計，若港府不放寬兩地車牌數量，或容許本地私家車使用，大橋每程收費將超逾300港元，影響駕駛者的使用意欲。

京港連線報道

昨日在記者會上，有記者問及港珠澳大橋的融資安排，黃華華先表示「感謝關心」，隨後透露在最近確定的融資方案中，三方同意各自建設口岸與連接大橋與口岸的引橋，大橋主體部分將統一建設，預計主體工程將耗資422億人民幣，在三方政府給予一定補貼後，將以公開招標的方式選擇承建商。他透露，港珠澳大橋「估計收費50年，36年半可以收回成本。」

理工大學土木及結構工程學系副教授熊永達指出，因多數港商廠房或物流設施都設於珠三角東面，本港駛往珠三角西面的汽車相對較少，他解釋，現時每日來往中港的汽車架次約為4萬多輛，大橋通車初期，車流若達每日1萬架次已屬難能可貴，在計算車流增長後，要在 36年半回本，大橋每程收費將至少為300港元，來回費用則高達600多港元。

他指出，若多人一起駕車通過大橋，的確能夠分擔費用，會比乘船較「抵」(見圖)，但對用一次付款一次的貨車而言，吸引力無疑較少。

業界盼每程收費100至150元

貨櫃運輸業職工總會副主席謝浪表示，如大橋收費如此高昂，將削弱其競爭力，「現時經虎門大橋來往珠三角西面的關卡費用，亦大約是600多港元，和大橋收費的差別不大，最多不過可以省回油錢和時間，希望大橋的收費水平，可限制在每程100元至150港元。」

熊永達和謝浪均認為，兩地政府應考慮放寬中港汽車來往的限制，以增加大橋潛在的車流。昨日在會上亦有傳媒問及黃華華，擁有兩地車牌的車輛並不多，大橋未來車流量是否會不足，但黃華華並未回應。

黃華華還透露，目前大橋建設的前期工作進展順利，25個研究專題已經完成了21個，下一步的工作是繼續完成剩餘4個專題，並對大橋的環境影響進行評估，以及盡快確定投資主體。黃華華並沒有透露具體動工時間，只說廣東省將「盡量抓緊進行前期工作，爭取盡快動工」。黃華華又建議，香港及深圳建立雙子城，深圳鄰近香港，兩地建立雙子城有助粵港合作及珠江三角洲融合。

港珠澳大橋建設已經醞釀多年，由國家發改委帶頭、粵港澳三地政府官員共同參加的小組專門負責，但進展一直緩慢。上月28日，三方在廣州開會，關鍵的融資方案才最終得以確定。

China to build 18-mile bridge
By Richard Spencer
Last Updated: 2:38am GMT 10/03/2008

China is to embark on the construction of an 18-mile bridge linking Hong Kong, Macau and the mainland, it was reported yesterday.

Officials have agreed to revive a five-year-old plan and will seek private partners to help fund half of the £2.95 billion needed to connect the two former colonies with the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai, a special economic zone which adjoins Macau on the mainland.

Reports from Hong Kong said yesterday that the road bridge would begin on Lantau island, home to Hong Kong's airport, and cross to Macau with a Y-like branch heading off to Zhuhai.

Private companies involved in the project would see their investment returned in part through tolls.

The project was first mooted in 2003, but the cost inhibited progress.

The bridge is the latest in a series of grand projects undertaken by Beijing and Chinese investors as the economy booms and the government seeks to project the country as an Asian giant to rival India.

---------

I found the last sentence quite amusing :lol:

^^ :D that writer has never been to China I guess.

They decided to use the "Y" shape design for the bridge.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/graphics/2008/03/10/wbridge110.gif

So will this mega-project be a bridge, or a bridge/hybrid tunnel?

Will it carry rail lines?

^ No rail line. Decision made due to cost concerns.

Delays make cost of delta bridge harder to recoup, says expert
10 March 2008
South China Morning Post

A mainland expert who spearheaded a central government study on the bridge that will link Hong Kong with Zhuhai and Macau has expressed regret over the length of time the project has been delayed.

He said construction costs had now increased, which would make it harder for the project's developer to recoup its investment.

Dong Yan, former director of the Institute of Comprehensive Transportation under the National Development and Reform Commission, told the South China Morning Post the benefits of the cross-delta bridge could have been felt earlier if the project had been started several years ago.

The institute conducted a study in July 2003 that recommended the Y-shaped bridge linking northern Lantau Island to Macau and Zhuhai should go ahead as soon as possible, signalling the central government's backing for the mega project.

The study was commissioned by the Hong Kong government and the development commission under the State Council.

But the bridge was only given official approval on February 28 - after five years of negotiations - when the governments of Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macau reached an agreement on financing arrangements.

Guangdong Governor Huang Huahua said on Saturday that the bridge would cost 42.2 billion yuan (HK$46.2 billion) to build and it would take 36-1/2 years for the developer to recoup this through tolls.

"The construction cost of the bridge has doubled over the past few years," Mr Dong said. "The delay could lengthen the period of recouping the investment and increase the difficulty of doing so."

Mr Dong said the Nansha port at the estuary of the Pearl River Delta had been developing rapidly and Shenzhen authorities were planning to build a bridge or tunnel to link the city with Zhongshan .

"The situation of the transport network in the region would have been better if the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge project had begun several years ago."

Nevertheless Mr Dong, a researcher with the institute, agreed that the 29.5km bridge would bring more cargo flow from west of the Pearl River Delta and the Guangxi region to Hong Kong's container terminals.

Last week Zheng Tianxiang, an expert in infrastructure studies at Zhongshan University, questioned the benefits of the bridge.

Asked whether he thought the high cost of using the bridge - HK$300 according to some estimates - would hit traffic flow, Mr Dong said the negative impact of high operational costs in Hong Kong would gradually be mitigated as costs in neighbouring cities increased.

this bridge is a good idea and really needed for the future although i still prefer the ferry just for the experience ;)

Greens urge sensitive approach at work sites
Infrastructure projects worry environmentalists
14 March 2008
South China Morning Post

The government should adopt a holistic approach to planning and implementing impending infrastructure projects in North Lantau, to avoid any undesirable cumulative environmental effects, environmentalists said yesterday.

The advice came as highway officials began the statutory process to carry out an environmental impact assessment of the checkpoint facilities for the proposed Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge.

The facilities will be located on a piece of reclaimed land of about 100 hectares northeast of Chek Lap Kok airport and linked by a connecting road to the super-bridge.

Part of the site will be reserved for building the toll plaza of the proposed Tuen Mun-Chek Lap Kok Link, a highway system outside the scope of the bridge development.

Earlier, cross-border authorities agreed on funding arrangements for the 29.6km bridge spanning the Pearl River mouth. Last year they opted to build separate checkpoints instead of one at a shared location.

But the project - set to become the biggest reclamation since the airport development in the 1990s and Disneyland in 2000 - is triggering concern about its ecological impact.

The construction process, including seabed dredging, will last for years. It will take place close to the protected Sha Chau Marine Park in North Lantau, where the endangered Chinese white dolphin is often seen.

Other related projects nearby might turn the area into an even bigger work site, posing more environmental challenges.

In addition to the Tuen Mun-Chek Lap Kok Link crossing, they include a possible third runway, a logistics park on another reclaimed site nearby, the Tung Chung new town expansion, and a new sea dumping ground for contaminated mud.

Alan Leung Sze-lun of WWF Hong Kong said the government should not implement these projects in a fragmented way but should adopt a holistic approach to address the cumulative environmental effect.

Even the bridge project has been cut into three parts - the checkpoint, the connecting roads, and the main bridge structure - and their effects have all been addressed separately.

Since the main bridge will be on the mainland, Hong Kong has a minimal role in the impact assessment process and the public might be deprived of a chance to voice their views, said Dr Leung.

"The Chinese white dolphin knows nothing about administrative boundaries; they live in one single ecosystem only."

A spokesman for the Transport and Housing Bureau said the cumulative effects of concurrent projects would be addressed. The proposed crossing site was chosen because it would have less of an impact and better integration with the airport and other road links, he said.

Work on a preliminary design, as well as feasibility and environmental impact studies, would begin this year, he said.

RTHK News:
Tender to list HK-Zhuhai bridge tolls (http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/20080425/news_20080425_56_485169.htm)

I would love to see this built. It would show that China is more than capable of matching the UAE on mega projects.

I would love to see this built. It would show that China is more than capable of matching the UAE on mega projects.I don't know how you can even compare the power of China with that of the UAE. Hell, just the scale of the Three gorges Dam is like all the building they ever did in Dubai...

^^ don't go there.

I would love to see this built. It would show that China is more than capable of matching the UAE on mega projects.

What? :nuts: Dubai is just one city, in China they making such cities in the dozens! Do you realise how many citys in China have a subway project under construction, have you ever heard of the Tibet railroad or the Shanghai brigde which is 36km long! Hell have you even seen how many airports have been constructed in the last 5 years in China I guess the answer is NO

Vehicle quotas could limit bridge traffic
15 May 2008
South China Morning Post

Traffic on the HK$40 billion bridge linking Hong Kong with Zhuhai and Macau will be limited to about 14,000 vehicles per day, or some 69,200 visitors, when completed in 2016 if the quota system on cross-border drivers remains unchanged.

The government's projection, described by a lawmaker as ridiculous, was revealed for the first time yesterday. The administration announced in March that a deal had been reached on the project.

"That must be a joke. Any major road in Hong Kong handles much more traffic than that. How much would we stand to lose at such a low traffic volume?" said Democratic Party legislator Lee Wing-tat. "Not to mention [that] we are paying the largest portion of the costs."

After investment from the private sector is factored out, the governments of Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macau will contribute 50.2 per cent, 35.1 per cent and 14.7 per cent of the construction costs respectively.

However, the Transport and Housing Bureau maintains the traffic flow numbers represent a conservative estimate, made under the assumption that the current quota system will not be relaxed. But it wrote in a paper submitted to the Legislative Council transport panel yesterday that the quota system was likely to be relaxed and that the volume of traffic would surpass the estimate. The paper will be under discussion at a transport panel meeting tomorrow.

The cross-border vehicle licence quota for private cars is about 20,000, and for cargo trucks about 18,000.

The government said earlier that it was talking with authorities in Guangzhou and Macau to determine whether drivers without cross-border licences could use the bridge. They could be allowed to park at car parks at the borders.

In the paper, the bureau justifies the cost-sharing ratio, which was calculated on a cost-to-benefit principle, saying it would dramatically cut travelling time from Zhuhai to Chek Lap Kok airport and the Kwai Chung port terminals by 80 per cent and 60 per cent respectively.

"The absence of a direct road link from Hong Kong to Zhuhai has been perceived as one of the reasons why Hong Kong investment in the Pearl River Delta has been relatively low compared to that on the east bank," the document read.

According to a feasibility study by the China Highway Planning and Design Institute, freight traffic from Hong Kong to Zhuhai, Jiangmen and Zhongshan will rise nearly six-fold after the bridge opens, from an annual 16 million tonnes in 2005 to 93 million tonnes in 2035.

The bureau said the bridge would encourage Hong Kong investors to move their mainland factories and businesses to the west side of the Pearl River Delta, where they could enjoy lower labour and land costs.

The bridge is also expected to ease access to the airports in Hong Kong and Zhuhai by allowing passengers on international flights in Hong Kong to transit quickly to the mainland via Zhuhai airport.

The government is to seek Legco's approval for HK$133.5 million to pay for preliminary work and designs.

What? :nuts: Dubai is just one city, in China they making such cities in the dozens! Do you realise how many citys in China have a subway project under construction, have you ever heard of the Tibet railroad or the Shanghai brigde which is 36km long! Hell have you even seen how many airports have been constructed in the last 5 years in China I guess the answer is NO

UAE have only two cities compete with other city in the world platform. Dubai and Abu Dhabi, but Abu Dhabi left far behide Dubai. Dubai classified as one of the booming city in the world.

China have many cities that could compete with other city in world, Shanghai, Beijing, HK, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Shenzhen, Tianjin and the rest growing Chinese cities. SH, BJ and HK are compete in world wide which Dubai stand as the same level with these Chinese cities.

to be honest, Projects on going in Dubai really impressive and awesome, but its more likely to be city beutification project and hopefully will fully utilize by the market demand in future. Just like the Oriental Pearl Tower in SH, F1 track in SH.but all of these met their market demand and fully use by public.

this is only my opinion, sorry if i make someone unhappy with me, u are welcome to correct me. thanks

Wow..this bridge is nice..:cheers:

why would a bridge so impressive to build made for just 15 000 vehicles a day? isn't that a little bit small number? some regional roads in world have more cars than that....

made for just 15 000 vehicles a day? isn't that a little bit small number?

I don't think so.

15 000 x 2 passengers = 30 000 people a day, same as 200 aircrafts each 150 passengers,
or
15 000 container trucks x up to 30 tonns => 450 000 tonns

What about the traffic today?

It's a shame they didn't include a rail line on the bridge. It could be an extension of the Tung Chung MTR line and integrate with the mainline system.

The rail line was originally on the plans but it wasn't cost effective to build.

RTHK News:
Radical change in bridge funding (http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/20080805/news_20080805_56_511348.htm)

Beijing to help fund Hong Kong/Guangdong bridge

HONG KONG, Aug 5 (Reuters) - A bridge connecting Hong Kong with Macau and Guangdong province in mainland China will begin construction by 2010 and be partially funded by the Chinese central government, Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang said on Tuesday.

Tsang said the Chinese central government and Guangdong provincial government would contribute 7 billion yuan to the estimated 37.5 billion yuan ($5.5 billion) cost of building the body of the 29.6 kilometre (18 mile) bridge.

The authorities in Hong Kong and Macau, which are both special administrative regions of China, will provide 6.8 billion yuan and 1.9 billion respectively, Tsang said after meeting Guangdong officials in Guangzhou.

The rest will be financed by bank loans that would be repaid from toll fees, a government spokesman said, but gave no details about who would undertake the loans.

The bridge will connect Zhuhai, a city in the southwest of the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong province, to the rest of the delta area and will slash travel times to Hong Kong. Currently, only ferries connect Zhuhai and Macau with Hong Kong. ($1=6.8564 yuan)

http://the-sun.on.cc/channels/news/20080806/img/a60806b_big.jpg

http://www.mingpaonews.com/20080806/_06ga301.jpg

Press Releases from the Macau Special Administraive Region Government Portal (www.gov.mo/):

港珠澳大橋融資方案取得突破性共識 (http://www.gov.mo/egi/Portal/rkw/public/view/showcomp.jsp?id=InfoShowTemp&docid=c373e91b7bbf03e58f6e24a7844ee14e)

Proposta de financiamento da Ponte do Delta reúne consenso (http://www.gov.mo/egi/Portal/rkw/public/view/showcomp.jsp?id=InfoShowTemp&docid=c373e91b7bc01d6d8f6e24a7844ee14e)

Agreement reached on financing of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (http://www.gov.mo/egi/Portal/rkw/public/view/showcomp.jsp?id=InfoShowTemp&docid=c373e91b7bc319a28f6e24a7844ee14e)

News video :
http://news.tvb.com/?video=http://vdo.tvb.com/n/630pm_news/20080805_01.mp4&image=http://img.tvb.com/n/630pm_news/20080805_01_576.jpg

We're stuck on the bridge of sighs
Hong Kong Standard
Friday, August 08, 2008

The administration has finally accepted the fact that their beloved Macau bridge is not commercially viable.

It has been obvious for years that the bridge was never going to be capable of generating an economic return unless the number of private vehicles that can currently be driven from Hong Kong across the border into the mainland was expanded massively.

Such an expansion in access to cross- border license plates would inevitably mean the value of a cross-border license plate would fall sharply, and you don't have to be a genius to work out whose pockets the debasing of this particular little money spinner would hurt.

So the answer the three governments involved in the project arrived at is to build the bridge with public money so the tolls can be kept very low, even if the total pool of potential vehicles allowed to enter the mainland remains open to a small and exclusive club of privileged drivers.

Of course, all sorts of regional economic benefits will be attributed to the construction of this bridge, the same sort of benefits based on the same sort of methodologies that were used to justify Disney, and have been used to assess the benefits of almost every red herring state-sponsored "Big Idea" project that we have wasted money on in the last decade.

In reality, what the public financing of this bridge really means is that the taxpayers of Hong Kong are going to be investing in a bridge that will never give them a decent return on their investment. The public money that will go into this project will presumably get next to a zero return, while the bridge's tolls will be set at just a sufficient level to repay the debt that is going to finance the balance of the construction.

Whichever way you want to dress it up, it is the taxpayer who, yet again, is picking up the tab to subsidize the best-off in our society. The vast majority of us will never be able to drive our cars across the bridge - if we are lucky enough to have a car - and we will certainly not be able to catch the train across, as the bridge has deliberately been determined to be a road-only design.

However, factory owners who have the requisite license plates, because of their investments across the border, or the well-to-do who rent their plates from those with mainland connections, will be driving their big limousines merrily back and forth paying a fraction of the real cost of their trip - all at our expense. But, of course, the bridge is not being built just so the factory owners can get back and forth to Zhuhai to play golf more conveniently.

The real purpose of the bridge is to enable them to move their factories across to the west bank of the Pearl River Delta.

For many influential factory owners, most of whom spend their time producing low-end stuff for the US market, the costs of doing business in the area immediately to the north of Hong Kong are way too high for them to turn a decent profit.

Even before the recent additional surge in the cost of doing business exacerbated the imperative to move, they were eyeing the cheap land to the west of the delta as a way to keep their factories churning. However, ensuring fast and cheap access to Hong Kong's container ports was a vital aspect of being able to develop this area.

Gordon Wu, who realized this, was the first person to advocate the bridge. He envisaged developing a bridge with container ports running down the side of Lantau so that he, or anyone else who funded the bridge, could then capture the value of the export trade and make the whole project viable.

However, the administration hijacked the idea, removed the container ports from Lantau and reactivated the proposal to build a new berth - CT 10 - close to the existing ones.

The result of this proposal is that not only would taxpayers not be able to use the bridge we are paying for, but we would also end up providing a perpetual subsidy to our manufacturing elite.

Their tired business models can run on the transitory fuel of cheap input prices at our expense for a few more years.

Let us hold our noses, ladies and gentlemen, and flush the value-added chain one last time.

Hopewell still in running for bridge project
11 September 2008
South China Morning Post

Hopewell Holdings remains a possible participant and investor in the proposed 37.45 billion yuan (HK$42.71 billion) Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge despite earlier speculation it would not be involved in the landmark development.

Thomas Jefferson Wu Man-sun, a co-managing director of Hopewell, said the joint working committee on the bridge, involving the governments of Hong Kong, Macau and China, was still deciding whether to have only government investment and participation or if the private sector should be invited.

A decision might be possible this year, he said. "We are still in the running."

Mr Wu's statement yesterday followed a report in the South China Morning Post on August 9 which quoted a source as saying Hopewell no longer saw a role in the bridge.

"[Whether Hopewell is involved or not] we are happy either way because my father has been promoting the bridge for 25 years and at last it is going to happen," Mr Wu said.

Sir Gordon Wu Ying-sheung, the chairman of Hopewell, proposed the bridge linking Hong Kong, Macau and the western Pearl River Delta of Guangdong province in 1983.

The bridge concept edged closer to becoming a reality last month when the governments of Hong Kong, Macau and China signed an agreement to jointly invest 15.73 billion yuan in the project. Construction is expected to begin by 2010.

"The bridge will benefit our west Pearl River Delta traffic," Mr Wu said.

Hopewell is building an expressway in the western Pearl River Delta that will link Guangzhou with Zhuhai.

The first phase, tying Guangzhou with Shunde city, started operation in September 2003. The second and third phases, which will link Shunde with Zhuhai, are expected to be completed by 2014.

The expressway business is managed by Hopewell subsidiary Hopewell Highway Infrastructure.

For the year to June, Hopewell Highway Infrastructure saw revenue fall 8 per cent to HK$2.39 billion, of which net toll revenue dropped 15 per cent to HK$1.72 billion, the company said yesterday.

Net profit rose 48 per cent to HK$2 billion. Excluding a HK$973.59 million gain from the disposal of a 45 per cent stake in a Guangzhou ring road, pre-tax profit fell 2.68 per cent to HK$1.48 billion.

Hopewell's net profit soared 127 per cent to HK$5.97 billion for the year to June, while turnover fell 41 per cent to HK$2.92 billion.

The large increase in net profit was due to exceptional gains of HK$4.79 billion, including HK$3.95 billion from the disposal of a 50 per cent stake in the Nova City property project in Macau.

By 2010, Hopewell planned to invest more than HK$6 billion in property projects in Hong Kong and Guangdong, said executive director William Wong Wing-lam.

This includes a 5.2 billion yuan investment in a power project in Heyuan city involving 30 per cent equity and 70 per cent debt, to be completed by the first half of next year.

It also includes a 350 million yuan investment in the Hopewell New Town residential complex near Guangzhou, to be completed by the first half of 2010 and a HK$700 million investment in a housing project on 12 Broadwood Road, Happy Valley, to be completed in 2010.

Hopewell shares fell 2.33 per cent to HK$27.20 yesterday, while Hopewell Highway dropped 0.7 per cent to HK$5.65.

Macau won't let in HK, mainland cars using delta bridge
12 September 2008
South China Morning Post

If a long-discussed bridge across the Pearl River Delta is built, Macau will not let vehicles from Hong Kong or the mainland use its roads, a Macau transport official has said.

Wong Wan, head of Macau's Transport Bureau, told the Macau Closer magazine the city would keep out non-Macau vehicles using the Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai bridge-tunnel link, saying Macau's roads were too crowded already.

Drivers using the bridge to visit Macau would have to park before entering the city, Dr Wong said.

The link is expected to run 29.6km from Lantau to two artificial islands off Macau and Gongbei, Zhuhai , and cost 40 billion yuan (HK$45.6 billion). The price excludes the costs of border posts and connecting roads. If it is approved, work is likely to start in 2010 and finish in 2016. Its Macau terminus would be off the Areia Preta district in the northeast of the Macau Peninsula.

Leong Kam-chun, director of Macau's Concern Group on Public Utilities, said it would be wise to stop Hong Kong vehicles entering Macau.

"Roads in Macau are already overloaded without an influx of non-local vehicles," he said.

The former Portuguese colony had 84,089 vehicles and 94,443 motorcycles by the end of June - but just 400.8km of public roads (measured by lane). In other words, Macau has 209 vehicles and 235 motorcycles for every kilometre of lane.

Mr Leong said the city could consider letting in some goods vehicles.

He suggested a car park, served by a light-rail station, be built at the bridge's landing point in Macau. The city is expected to build a HK$4 billion light-rail system this year.

Gaming-industry analyst Davis Fong Ka-chio said the economic impact of keeping out Hong Kong cars would be minimal. He said buses using the bridge would be able to bring in droves of tourists.

"I can't see any big impact [on Macau's economy] if private cars are kept out," Dr Fong said. "There won't be any problem if the mass-transit system goes smoothly."

Vehicle operators need special licences to cross the Hong Kong-mainland boundary or the Macau-mainland boundary.

Sir Gordon Wu Ying-sheung, chairman of construction giant Hopewell Holdings, who has championed the project since the 1980s, said in February that Beijing was considering letting vehicles without cross-boundary licences use the bridge.

It is not clear whether mainland and Macau vehicles using the bridge will be allowed to enter Hong Kong.

Representatives of the Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong governments are discussing how many vehicles should be allowed to use the bridge.

About 38,000 Hong Kong vehicles and the same number from the mainland are licensed to cross the Hong Kong-mainland boundary.

Some Hong Kong lawmakers have said the quota system may limit use of the bridge and make it a white elephant.

A spokesman for Hong Kong's Transport and Housing Bureau said yesterday: "We are looking at the feasibility of relaxing the current quota system for cross-boundary vehicles. No decision has been made."

I think this project really started to feel like a white elephent. Quotas, bans...

Opinion : Bridge will speed development of both Hong Kong and delta
15 August 2008
South China Morning Post

The building of the new Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai bridge will definitely accelerate the development of the Pearl River Delta.

There are some people who say that the bridge has come too late to deliver benefits to Hong Kong.

They claim that because Guangdong will bear the largest share of the construction costs, it therefore has the greatest say over the bridge's planning and operation.

Secondly, they say that Zhuhai and other nearby cities have developed their own airports and container terminals and there is no need to rely solely on Hong Kong for the transportation of goods and people.

The value of connecting Zhuhai with Hong Kong and Macau is therefore diminished.

Regarding the first point, I feel that it is not important to look at who has more control over the details of the design, management or operation of the bridge.

I think the primary concern should be to get the bridge built.

It has strategic value for Hong Kong in relation to its position in the region and its value cannot be solely judged on the basis of return on investment.

If Hong Kong has any disagreements with Zhuhai over operational details of the bridge, such differences can always be resolved through meetings and negotiations.

Critics of the bridge are taking a very narrow view regarding the development of Hong Kong.

They assume that prosperity in mainland cities will mean less business for Hong Kong.

The reality, in my opinion, is that with the economic progress on the mainland we will see a larger pie for the whole region.

There is no need to worry about having a smaller piece of the pie as more cities get involved.

Given that resources will increase, there will be enough for everyone.

The building of the Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai bridge will definitely help lead to closer economic ties in the Pearl River Delta.

We should all look forward to the ample opportunities that lie ahead.

Brenda Lao, Kowloon Tong

HK Gov't Press Release:
Expression of Interest invited for Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge project (http://info.gov.hk/gia/general/200810/20/P200810200163.htm)

HK-Macau bridge on cards amid infrastructure push

HONG KONG, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Hong Kong, Macau and the southern Chinese province of Guangdong have agreed to build a 37.4 billion yuan ($5.47 billion) bridge linking the three and are looking for 21.7 billion yuan of loan finance, Hong Kong's government information service said on Monday.

Economists say China will need to push government-backed infrastructure projects to reinvigorate its economy, which is still growing but at a much slower pace under the burden of the global financial crisis.

Bridge-building would benefit steelmakers, who did a mountain of business in the run-up to the Olympic Games but are now sitting on growing stockpiles of ore and seeing dwindling orders from customers, prompting them to cut output.

The governments agreed in August to contribute 15.7 billion yuan to the project, about 42 percent of the total, but they need loan funding for the rest and are inviting financial institutions in Macau, Hong Kong and mainland

China to express interest by Nov. 10 in financing the bridge.

Construction is due to start no later than 2010.

($1=6.828 Yuan)

Crisis means mainland banks set to fund bridge
21 October 2008
South China Morning Post

The financing of the long-awaited Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai bridge will be dominated by mainland banks amid the global financial meltdown, local and mainland experts have warned.

A joint working group formed by Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong yesterday invited banks in the three jurisdictions to express their interest in providing some 17 billion yuan (HK$19.3 billion) of loans for the bridge project.

Yi Xianrong , a professor at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said: "Mainland banks are more isolated from the global financial crisis, their liquidities are better and also they are more likely to lend to state projects which overseas banks do not consider commercially viable."

Zheng Tianxiang, a professor of economics at Zhongshan University's Pearl River Research Centre, said Hong Kong banks would not be keen to lend because of the crisis.

Asia Pacific Loan Market Association vice-chairman Wilson Wan Siu-wah said banks were likely to charge higher interest rates if they provided loans for the project.

"Normally, a government infrastructure project is a safe investment to banks and the interest rate should only be around Libor [London's benchmark interbank lending rate] plus 1 per cent, but in such a bad economy banks would want more assurances and it is likely to be Libor plus 2 per cent."

Such a minor difference could mean payment of an extra HK$150 million a year on a HK$19 billion loan.

However, if the bridge's traffic flow and income were better than expected, the government could always settle with the old consortium and seek refinancing with a better interest rate after a few years.

Mr Wan, an expert in corporate finance whose association includes all Hong Kong's major banks, said mainland banks might dominate the bridge consortium because they were less affected by the global credit crunch and had traditionally backed projects led by Beijing.

Guangzhou's Yangcheng Evening News quoted sources yesterday as saying private cars were likely to pay 150 yuan to cross the bridge.

Three toll models were proposed, it said, with two options charging private cars 150 yuan and coaches 450 yuan.

The newspaper said no quota would be imposed on trucks, and coaches would be given priority. The report also said vehicles would be able to use the bridge free of charge once the three governments repaid all the loans.

The project will cost an estimated 70 billion yuan, with about 32.7 billion yuan needed to build the bridge itself. Construction would be able to begin by 2010 after the central government agreed to inject funds to make sure the project did not suffer any more delays.

The latest funding arrangement will see the cost of building the bridge split between the three regional governments, with Guangdong - after receiving subsidies from the central government - responsible for 44.5 per cent. Hong Kong will shoulder 42.9 per cent of the upfront payments and Macau 12.5 per cent.

The joint working group - the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge advance work co-ordination group project office - met on Saturday in Zhuhai to hammer out details of the expressions of interest, which will close on November 10.

港珠澳橋逼東涌居民食塵
29/10/2008
http://the-sun.on.cc/channels/img/endmarker.gif

http://orientaldaily.on.cc/photo/20081029/new/1029nhko16b1.jpg

【本報訊】港珠澳大橋走線貼近東涌住宅區，路政署最近聯同顧問公司向居民提出八個建議方案，其中顧問重點推介的首選方案，部分高架橋距東涌新市鎮僅數百米，鄰近居民可能要飽受「食塵」之苦。地區人士批評，路政署鬼鬼祟祟地進行「假諮詢」，無論是展覽或工作坊均缺乏事前宣傳，令居民無法掌握大橋的未來發展，即使生活受到影響亦不能及早避免。

離島區議員林有罱表示，港珠澳大橋屬非常龐大的工程，但路政署的諮詢過程卻十分兒戲，上月底至本月初在東涌區內舉行展覽，亦只是在路旁擺設幾塊展板，並無知會區議員。

上星期六舉行有關大橋走線的工作坊亦缺乏宣傳，幸好她發現後呼籲居民到場，公眾才知道走線對民居帶來的影響。她質疑，「諮詢得咁鬼祟，係咪驚人反對？」

她說，路政署與顧問公司向居民簡介的八個走線建議，較傾向選用其中兩個方案，首選方案是於機場東北面旁填海一百五十公頃，大橋對正東涌北面的私人屋苑；次選方案則會在機場以西填海一百二十公頃。

出席工作坊的居民大部分反對首選方案，因為大橋將會建於東涌新市鎮對開海面，距最近的民居僅約七百米，不但影響景觀，而且令區內的空氣污染問題惡化。

每日萬架次 污染物難頂
「顧問話每日有一萬架次車輛途經大橋，當中好多係大型貨櫃車，高峰期更加有五、六萬架次，如果吹東北風，污染物就吹晒去住宅區，居民會好辛苦。」

本報昨日曾要求路政署提供八項走線的詳細建議，但該署稱需時整理資料，暫未能提供。

Right, like it's any worse than what everyone else in HK faces. Plus, aren't there cars and buses in Tung Chung itself anyways?

^^ lol HKsky translate please :D

Poor translation for the #185 reply

Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai Mega-Bridge Project

The Highways Department, in conjunction with consultants suggested eight proposals for the bridge's alignments.
One of the proposals which is most prefered by the department is part of the viaduct just several hundred meters from the Tung Chung New Town. Nearby residents in that area will have to "eat dusts".
Some people criticized the Department carry out such stealthy "fake consultation".
No matter workshop or exhibition, there is a lack of publicity in advance so that people cannot grasp the future development of the bridge. Even if their lives are to be affected, people cannot take precaution of it.

Islands District Council members Lin Lan said that the Bridge is a very big project, but the Highways Department's consultation is very unreliable. For the exhibition held at the end of last month to the beginning of this month, only a few display boards are placed at the street, and none of the district board members were informed.

There was no promotion for a workshop concerning bridge alignment held last saturday. But fortunately she (Lin Lan) noticed the workshop and informed some residents. Thus people became aware of the impact on residential areas. She questioned, "the consultation was too tricky(=鬼祟?), are they afraid of counterforce?"

She said that she tends to choose two of the eight proposals suggested by the Department.
1) 150 hectares of reclamation at north-east of airport, where the bridge face to private housing at Tung Chung North;
2) 120 hectares of reclamation at west of airport.
^^^ Refer to the orange area of the image on #185

Among the residents attended the workshop, most of them opposed to the first choice. Because the bridge will be built in front of Tung Chung New Town, just 700 meters to residential areas. It will not only affect the landscape, but also worsen the areas' air pollution problem.

10,000 vehicles per day; unacceptable ammount of pollutants
"Consultants say there are 10,000 vehicles pass through the bridge everyday, where many of them are large size container trucks. At peak time there will be 50,000-60,000/day. When there are north-east wind, pollutants are blown to residential areas. The residents will be very hard."

Yesterday we (on.cc) asked the Highways Department to provide detailed proposals of the eight alignments, but they said they need time to collate information and cannot provided the proposals now.

=end=

I would imagine the environmental impact on the west side would even be greater than on the east side, since the west side is still still rural, undisturbed; but the east side is populated, and planned to be a logistic park. Of course no one is going to complain about on the west side, no one lives there, but there are thousands live on the east.

And the bridge is 700m away from those waterfront buildings, it's far away from HK standard. And how tall will the bridge be? Possibly 10-15m above sea level; and how tall are those buildings? Fifth floor is already above the roadway that is 700m away, and the rest still enjoy the airport view. BS.

I'm a bit worried about the noise though, as it travels upwards so even the higher floors can hear a lot of it if traffic builds up.

I'm a bit worried about the noise though, as it travels upwards so even the higher floors can hear a lot of it if traffic builds up.

Upwards?? It's all gonna be relatively flat elevated roadway.

Upwards?? It's all gonna be relatively flat elevated roadway.

I meant noise travels up, so even if the road surface is on flat land, the upper floors of nearby buildings can hear the traffic, especially when the highway is going to be in an open area such as reclaimed land with no buildings in the immediate vicinity to absorb the noise.

I meant noise travels up, so even if the road surface is on flat land, the upper floors of nearby buildings can hear the traffic, especially when the highway is going to be in an open area such as reclaimed land with no buildings in the immediate vicinity to absorb the noise.

OK. But noise is easy to deal with sometimes. We are famous in installing noise barriers anywhere everywhere.

China Premier: To Support HK In Fighting Fincl Crisis -Radio
28 October 2008

HONG KONG (Dow Jones)--Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said in Moscow that the central government will work to support Hong Kong in fighting the global financial crisis, Radio and Television Hong Kong reported on its Web site Wednesday.

Wen said he has asked China's financial regulators to strengthen ties with their counterparts in Hong Kong, and to develop a plan to manage risks amid the financial crisis, according to the report.

As part of the plans to support Hong Kong, Wen said the government will speed up the development of infrastructure projects, particularly the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge, as well as to minimize Hong Kong's inflationary pressures by ensuring stable food supply to the territory, RTHK reported.

He also said the government plans to further ease travel restrictions on mainland tourists to Hong Kong.

港 珠 澳 大 橋 爭 取 明 年 動 工

(星島日報報道)國家總理溫家寶提出的十項刺激經濟措施，其中包括加快基建項目，「國家發展改革委員會」副主任張曉強表示，中央政府與港澳政府正積極制定港珠澳大橋的可行性報告，發改委收到提請後會加快審批，並爭取將動工時間由二○一○年，提前到二○○九年底前。

國務院在今年八月已宣布，耗資高達五百億元的港珠澳大橋主體部分，會由中央政府、廣東省政府及港澳政府出資，共一百五十七億元人民幣，約佔大橋主體建設費四成二，取代以企業融資及採用BOT的做法，令項目可加快上馬。

發改委副主任張曉強昨日會見港澳傳媒時指出，中央提出的十項刺激經濟措施，包括加快基建項目，港珠澳大橋目前正由有關部門進行可行
性研究，當發改委收到有關研究報告後，將會盡快審批並報請國務院批准，其後便可進入大橋的前期工作準備，包括設計及融資等。

他希望可提早大橋的動工日期：「原來考慮是二○一○年開工，我們想，如果各方面工作努力，條件到位，可能的話，能不能力爭在二○○九年底之前爭取它（大橋）開工。」

被問到河套區的發展，張曉強稱，中央政府希望深圳及香港兩地能就河套區開發加快研究論證，達成共識以後便啟動建設，相信對兩地經濟會發揮促進作用。

張曉強亦關心珠三角的發展，表示發改委正與廣東省政府編寫的《珠三角區域改革發展規劃綱要》將會爭取在本年內出台，總結廣東省改革開放三十年來的發展及挑戰，如何優化產業升級，如何進一步利用土地資源及保護環境等，並會提出新的思路。

他說，珠三角今後會進一步將產業轉型升級，發展更多高增值產業及現代服務業，並且改善廣東省發展不平衡的情況，加強珠三角帶動周邊地區發展，促進廣東省經濟一體化。他又指，會促進粵港合作，包括金融、創新科技、旅遊、文化等，互補優勢共同發展。

另外，對於中央政府宣布四萬億元人民幣的刺激經濟措施，張曉強補充，四萬億元的將重點投資在農業、水利、基礎設施、災後重建等，涉及中央政府動用約一千二百億元，部分項目是加快十一．五規劃中的項目，而這些投資將帶動社會投資四千億元。

他指出，四萬億元措施中，中央政府投入約一萬億元，另外亦有地方政府、企業投資，及金融機構的貸款，「我們要調動各方的積極性，達到多元投資，共同支持，推動社會發展。」

2008-11-12

Drivers without cross-border licences to get interim passes
19 November 2008
South China Morning Post

Hong Kong drivers without cross-border vehicle licences will be the first to take part in a pilot scheme allowing vehicles from both sides of the border to drive into each other's territories on temporary passes.

Secretary for Transport and Housing Eva Cheng said the scheme would first be tried on the Shenzhen Bay Bridge - where there was capacity for more traffic - and if effective, might be used on the Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai bridge, which is due to be finished by 2016.

The transport minister said a special taskforce would be set up this year to study the future of the cross-border vehicle quota system.

Applications are now restricted to those with no less than US$1 million invested on the mainland. Mainland vehicles are not allowed into the city except in special circumstances. But Ms Cheng said that could all change.

"[Bosses] of small- and medium-sized enterprises, now unqualified for a permit, will benefit," she said. "Guangdong authorities are pretty positive about the suggestion."

On top of a proposal to raise the number of permanent cross-border vehicle permits - now fixed at about 20,000 - the two governments were also considering the introduction of temporary one-off permits valid for only a few days.

"There are many concerns, such as car insurance," Ms Cheng said. "If anyone commits an offence, how is he going to pay the penalty and [which court] will he land in?"

She said any relaxation of the quota system "will be carried out step by step within a controlled environment. We will also consider the burden on road networks".

Any opening up of the system would apply not just to Hong Kong, but also to the mainland, she said.

Ms Cheng was speaking after a meeting with the Heung Yee Kuk, which looks after the interests of indigenous New Territories residents. The community had expressed fears that the admission of left-hand-drive mainland vehicles onto Hong Kong's right-hand-drive roads might create traffic chaos.

But Ms Cheng said overseas examples showed it might not necessarily be more dangerous. She said more studies would be conducted.

港珠澳橋 研私家車短期牌照; 鄭汝樺︰西部通道試行配額制 往返中港
17 November 2008
香港經濟日報

金融海嘯下，中央加快港珠澳大橋建設推動經濟發展，運輸及房屋局局長鄭汝樺接受本報專訪時表示，為配合港珠澳大橋落成鋪路，今年內會與廣東省政府展開研究，在西部通道試行設立全新中港私家車過關短期配額，計劃若成功，將擴展至港珠澳大橋，短期配額令本港中小企及市民有機會駕車往返中港，促進兩地經濟及文化交流。

有效期5至7天 電話上網預約

鄭汝樺於新加坡考察期間，接受她上任後首個專訪時，向本報記者透露：「已就推出短期配額與廣東省政府接觸，雙方同意以專家小組形式進行詳細研究，希望今年內專家小組可開始商討。」但暫未有實施時間表。

她預料，推出短期配額初期，每日只會有數百配額供私家車申請，並需以循序漸進方式增加，將來港珠澳大橋落成後，長期配額亦有增加空間。

鄭汝樺所指的指定數量短期配額，可讓符合規定的私家車申請，在指定日期內駕車往返兩地，與現有的長期配額有別（見另稿）。

鄭指出，推出短期配額前要解決一些問題，包括內地來港的私家車要符合環保規定、以及保險界要研究推出相關的短期保險產品，與廣東省政府的商討，最重要確立制度，若計劃成功，日後可擴展至港珠澳大橋。

鄭汝樺認為，短期配額有效日期可以是5天或7天，並可設立電話或網上預約系統，讓符合規定及已登記的私家車，預先申請配額。她表示，若短期配額將來擴展至港珠澳大橋，可建立電話或網上繳費系統，加快過關速度。

短期配額會否引起本港塞車？鄭汝樺強調，若成功推出，必須循序漸進增加配額，經港珠澳大橋來港的車輛，可透過已拍板興建的屯門至赤鱲角連接路經新界西北通往市區：「相信本港私家車往內地需求較大，相信不會導致擠塞。」

有建議每程150元 冀降收費

預料港珠澳大橋落成後，私家車每程收費150元人民幣，鄭汝樺指，該數額只是研究報告內一個建議，有其他高於或低於該數額的建議：「將來收費能應付還債及日常開支，在不用補貼情況下，會盡量降低收費。」

對於中央政府希望港珠澳大橋提前於明年動工，鄭表示：「大橋協調小組會盡快將大橋的工程可行性報告提交發改委審批，又會盡快展開初步設施。」

金融海嘯會否令大橋建造成本降低？鄭表示，需要視乎未來數月情況，由初步設計至招標仍有大半年時間，而鋼鐵、英泥等建材的價格走勢，還受到很多不確定因素影響。三地政府向金融機構收集大橋融資意向書，最終接獲34份；鄭汝樺透露，個別意向書花不少心機撰寫，並提出不少實際問題，認為銀行機構對大橋融資反應正面。

From news.gov.hk:
Bridge report to be submitted to Central Gov't (http://news.gov.hk/en/category/infrastructureandlogistics/081127/html/081127en06001.htm)

Construction of bridge could start next year
3 governments endorse report
28 November 2008
South China Morning Post

Construction of the Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai bridge could begin next year after the three governments agreed to start looking for design contractors without waiting for Beijing's final approval.

Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong will advertise for tenders for the design work on Monday, and Hong Kong's Secretary for Transport and Housing Eva Cheng said she hoped construction could begin next year instead of 2010 as originally planned.

Speaking after the three governments endorsed a feasibility report for the bridge across the Pearl River, Ms Cheng said they wanted to press ahead with the work to create much-needed jobs as soon as possible.

"We have considered [the creation of jobs] so we will start the design work when the plan is submitted to the central government for consideration," she said.

"We will also push forward the schedule of any job that can be done earlier, such as surveying works."

Li Miaojuan, director general of Guangdong's Development and Reform Commission, said the province would submit the report to Beijing next month.

A source said Guangdong was confident that there would be good news in three months because Beijing had already agreed to give top priority to the plan's assessment.

Ms Cheng - convenor of the bridge's advance work co-ordination group - said yesterday's meeting in Guangzhou was a big leap forward as the three governments had resolved 40 major issues. These included the bridge's impact on sea channels in the estuary and on the environment, the financing model and the framework for the bridge's future operator.

A summary of the bridge's environmental impact released earlier said the construction would have a bad effect on Chinese white dolphins that live in the estuary but measures would be introduced to reduce noise and water pollution.

Despite the recession, the three governments expect to be able to raise enough money for the bridge from the private sector.

Of 34 banks that have applied to participate in the financing, some have expressed interest in leading any consortium the financing consultant may put together. The consortium will finance 58 per cent of the 37.45 billion yuan (HK$42.6 billion) project, while the rest of the cost will be shared by the three governments according to the benefits each is deemed to receive from the bridge.

Construction workers in Hong Kong and Macau have staged protests recently pushing for progress on major infrastructure projects after more than 10,000 jobs - including 4,000 belonging to Hong Kong workers - were lost due to the suspension of the Sands group's massive resort development project in Macau.

But the Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees General Union estimated the bridge would only create about 1,000 jobs for Hong Kong workers.

The union's chairman, Choi Chun-wa, believes most of the work, especially the simplest kind, would be given to mainlanders.

HK Gov't Press Release:
Tenders invited for preliminary design of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao main bridge (http://info.gov.hk/gia/general/200812/01/P200812010182.htm)

wow... when this starts in 2009 it will be the amazing to see construction pictures :)
i just hope they'll start it as they said...

Hong Kong to join work group to study cross-bounder bridge toll

HONG KONG, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong's top transport official said here Saturday that the future toll for the Hong Kong- Zhuhai- Macao Bridge will be set at a level sufficient to repay bank loans and support daily maintenance costs.

On a radio program here Saturday, Secretary for Transport and Housing of Hong Kong Eva Cheng said the three jurisdictions will set up a joint work committee to decide on the toll, which she hoped can be as low as possible to promote traffic flows and regional exchanges.

She noted the three governments aim to start advance work as soon as possible, adding that the financing of the project by the governments was "a wise decision" as the earlier proposed build- operate-transfer mode would be hard to realize under the current economic situation.

Cheng expected the bridge to generate huge economic benefits and create 11,000 jobs for the construction of Hong Kong's control point and link roads.

Upon completion, Hong Kong will be directly connected with the western delta region, benefiting the local aviation and container industries, Cheng said.

Bridge toll could be less than HK$100
30 November 2008
South China Morning Post

The toll for private cars crossing the Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai bridge could be set below HK$100 for a one-way trip, the secretary for transport and housing has said.

Tolls would be as low as possible, Eva Cheng said, adding that the government was not aiming to use road charges to cover the huge construction cost.

"Our target is simple. Tolls will be set at levels sufficient to repay bank loans and support daily maintenance costs of the bridge," the minister said on a radio programme yesterday.

"The higher the traffic flow, the lower the bridge toll. The proposed lowest toll for private cars can be set below HK$100 while another proposal suggests a level around HK$100."

Ms Cheng was confident that a switch from a model under which the three regional governments would cover any shortfall between building costs and private investments to government financing would secure lower tolls.

She said final charges would be decided by representatives from the three governments, taking into account interest on bank loans.

A Hong Kong-Guangdong expert group will meet next month to study the possibility of issuing short-term private car licences.

Ms Cheng said factors to consider were emission requirements, insurance and road capacities in different places. A pilot scheme could be launched at the Western Corridor within a year, she said.

The minister also said the bridge would generate huge economic benefits and create 11,000 jobs.

Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong will advertise tenders for the bridge's design tomorrow. Ms Cheng said she hoped the work could begin next year instead of 2010 as originally planned.

No U-turn allowed
25 December 2008
South China Morning Post

The Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai bridge seems like a foregone conclusion. It is to be built because Beijing has endorsed it, and there seems to be no opposition. It is taken for granted that the bridge will enhance the physical integration of the Pearl River Delta as a whole, and Hong Kong is prepared to fork out a large part of the cost. Indeed, it is assumed that Hong Kong will benefit greatly from its creation.

The authorities claim the bridge will deliver four "macro socio-economic benefits": it will promote development of the western side of the Pearl River; reinforce Hong Kong's status as an international shipping and aviation centre; promote regional tourism industries; and perfect the regional transport network.

There has been very little in-depth examination of these claims as to how the benefits would be delivered, and hardly any deliberation about alternatives and opportunity costs. It is not easy to obtain much information about the bridge, as a comprehensive analysis of the underlying assumptions has not been released. The public is being asked to accept the spending of vast sums of money on its construction in good faith.

The more one thinks about it, the more unresolved issues there seem to be. One by one, these will come out, as the concrete is poured and the bridge takes shape. Is there really no time to allow for a serious debate about the bridge and the enormous sums involved? And what about the negative side effects of the project?

While something has been said about the destruction of the environment, including threatening the home of the pink dolphins, there are other obvious problems: what are our officials doing with Lantau Island?

The rhetoric is that Lantau has 10,000 hectares of country park, which is about 70 per cent of the land area, and that it represents a good balance between development and nature conservation. The reality is that, while the mountainous parts are "protected", Lantau will be packed with more population and infrastructure that would otherwise not be planned if it wasn't for the bridge.

Planning, transport and highway officials are working to load up the accessible parts of Lantau with a very large logistics park that does not appear to be needed - even the industry has not clamoured for it - and many more homes are being planned for Tung Chung. Hong Kong spent billions to move the airport from southeast Kowloon to Lantau so that millions of people would no longer suffer excessive noise pollution. So why are we planning to put more people under jets' flight paths once more?

Tung Chung is also one of the areas with high air pollution; is anyone in the government giving this some thought when planning major transport infrastructure there and increasing the population? It seems that, to justify the bridge, there is a need to add extra activities on Lantau that do not really make sense.

This large and expensive project now has Beijing's backing, so there are unlikely to be any serious questions raised. Those in government who have concerns will not be able to raise them. Legislators and political parties have bought the "good for development and jobs" rhetoric and they are not in the habit of doing independent research to verify the claimed benefits, to satisfy themselves that the bridge is good for Hong Kong.

The professional community is unlikely to raise concerns in public, since it means "jobs for the boys". Some will even describe it as a "present" for Hong Kong, when it may well turn out to be an enormous burden.

With the financial crisis, we should be more careful about what we spend on. Instead, the official wisdom is to rush ahead under the pretext of creating jobs and boosting the economy.

No one in power wants to take time to review the plan, lest there be another government U-turn. There is also no public watchdog focusing on the bridge. Indeed, it seems it is best we just proceed at speed, so that before very long it is a foregone conclusion. What a pity.

Christine Loh Kung-wai is chief executiveof the think-tank Civic Exchange

Academics say study dodges critical issues
29 December 2008
South China Morning Post

Experts involved in the first cross-border planning study said the report had not touched on some critical issues involving co-operation in the Pearl River Delta, even though they said its recommendations were sensible.

Zheng Tianxiang , a professor at Guangdong's Sun Yat-sen University, said: "The report avoids addressing some unpopular topics.

"If we don't face the harsh reality that there are plenty of issues we don't have an agreed solution on, then I'm pessimistic on future co-operation among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau."

He cited Guangdong province's determination to upgrade low-end and highly polluting processing trade factories, which was facing resistance from the business community.

"Most of these processing-trade factories are owned by Hong Kong businessmen, but the report didn't address the issue of how the two sides can work together to resolve the matter," he said.

Professor Zheng said the report focused too much on Hong Kong, and should have made recommendations on co-operation between the city and Guangzhou.

"It keeps saying how Hong Kong and Shenzhen are a cluster and should have some sort of co-ordination, but Guangzhou is the capital city of Guangdong.

"It is impossible to omit Guangzhou while talking about the Hong Kong-Guangdong relationship."

The professor said the Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai bridge should prepare to add a rail link in the future.

Hung Wing-tat of Hong Kong Polytechnic University said the study did not say much on how to conserve the environment, and did not have recommendations on how to preserve the cultural and historical aspects of the delta.

"As a world-class metropolis, simply building infrastructure and focusing on economic development are insufficient. There are issues like arts, culture and sport that we need to address," he said.

Professor Hung also said the study only focused on the role governments played in the delta's future, although residents also had a vital role.

"There should be a regular platform where NGOs and professional groups talk and exchange ideas," he said.

Beijing troubled over bridge views
18 December 2008
Hong Kong Standard

Beijing is looking into differences of opinion expressed by the three governments involved in the HK$40 billion Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge.

National Development and Reform Commission director Zhang Ping told the media yesterday that understandings expressed by the different sides "were not consistent."

"So the commission is carrying out a study of the project," he said. "The project is important to the development of the Pearl River Delta. It is important to the development of Macau and Hong Kong." He did not say if the differences will soon be narrowed.

Zhang addressed the media after meeting Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen in Beijing yesterday.

He also reiterated the central government's pledge to help Hong Kong maintain and promote prosperity to benefit the community.

During the meeting, Tsang expressed Hong Kong's appreciation at the concern given to the SAR as well as the commission's assistance in pushing through the tri-city bridge project.

He thanked Zhang for the commission's assistance in arranging the supply of natural gas to Hong Kong.

Zhang mentioned the global impact the financial crisis was having, and said he was happy to exchange views with Tsang, who arrived in Beijing for a three- day duty visit. Tsang's meeting with the mainland's central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan had to be rescheduled. Tsang will personally brief state leaders on the latest economic, social and political developments in Hong Kong, and will also call on leaders of the central government to exchange views on matters affecting the SAR.

It is expected Tsang will discuss expanding yuan-related businesses in Hong Kong and allowing more mainland tourists to visit the city. The chief executive has said any proposals he puts forward would be designed to benefit the long-term economic development of both Hong Kong and the mainland.

Delta team to promote financial co-operation
22 January 2009
South China Morning Post

Hong Kong and Guangdong finally agreed yesterday to set up a taskforce to promote monetary co-operation after years of discussions, in an attempt to facilitate cross-border capital flow.

Making the announcement after meeting Guangdong Vice-Governor Wan Qingliang, Chief Secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen said: "The taskforce will work on a number of projects; in the long run, financial resources will be able to move freely in the Pearl River Delta."

A total of 21 taskforces, ranging from environment to transport, have been formed under the Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Co-operation Conference. But none of them have dealt with financial co-operation despite years of discussions.

Both sides also agreed to set up a committee on how to implement the newly announced Pearl River Delta Development Framework, which the National Development and Reform Commission drafted to guide the delta's growth.

Experts welcomed the move, saying financial co-operation would give Hong Kong a big hinterland and eventually consolidate its status as an international financial centre.

They also said the future of Hong Kong and Guangdong were inseparable and that pursuing co-operation was the "right direction".

Charles Li Kui-wai, associate professor of City University's economics and finance department, said: "Setting up a taskforce on financial co-operation means they are narrowing down the discussion. It will be easier for them to reach a consensus."

Mr Wan, meanwhile, reiterated the provincial government would spend 1 billion yuan (HK$1.1 billion) to help Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwanese exporters through the global financial crisis.

He said the 30 rescue measures mainly focused on cutting costs, such as reducing fees and taxes, and assistance to those wanting to enter the mainland market.

The two governments also took the opportunity to map out their 2009 work plan, vowing work on the long-awaited Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai bridge would begin this year.

The Legislative Council yesterday approved HK$230 million in the first batch of funding reserved for the bridge's early design and surveying.

While both sides will speed up the Lok Ma Chau Loop's development, making it a university town, they agreed there should be a division of labour among ports and airports to ensure effective use of resources.

Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macau will examine how to set up a framework to promote co-operation in the Pearl River Delta.

"Implementing the central government's development framework for the delta is the provincial government's most important task," said Qiu Shan , professor at Guangdong's Academy of Social Sciences. "Forming a Hong Kong-Guangdong committee on the framework's execution will be beneficial to both sides."

cool

lets push the limists one step further: china-taiwan :o

Big bridge's financing risky, warn experts
Yuan-only contracts for delta project seen as a bad deal
31 January 2009
South China Morning Post

Settling all contracts for building the Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai bridge in yuan risks marginalising non-mainland banks and pushing up the publicly funded project's price tag, experts have warned.

They point to the likelihood of the yuan's value strengthening and the higher interest rates charged on yuan-denominated loans compared to those in US or Hong Kong dollars. Using multiple currencies would hedge against that risk, they say.

And letting Hong Kong and foreign lenders play a bigger part would increase competition for the role of lead lender for the 37.45 billion yuan (HK$42.5 billion) project, they say.

The central government and Guangdong will, between them, pay 7 billion yuan towards the cost of the bridge. Hong Kong and Macau will contribute 6.75 billion yuan and 1.98 billion yuan respectively. The remaining 58 per cent of the cost will be covered by a syndicated loan.

The prime lending rate on the mainland is 5.31 per cent, whereas Hong Kong's major banks quote a prime rate of 5 per cent.

On January 16, the governments of Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong invited banks to tender for the position of lead bank for the syndicated loan, which must be denominated in yuan.

The tender notice ran only in mainland newspapers, supposedly because mainland institutions would be able to offer the most attractive terms for yuan loans. Banks in Hong Kong and Macau can co-manage the loan.

The invitation to tender specifies that the lead bank must have experience in writing syndicated loans of 5 billion yuan or more. It also imposes other conditions which the experts believe will make it difficult for foreign banks registered on the mainland to take part.

Yi Xianrong , a finance and banking professor at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said: "There should be an open discussion on what currency they should use, the risks involved and the benefits. They should not have made the decision behind closed doors.

"Borrowing in renminbi is more risky than in Hong Kong dollars because the yuan will appreciate in the long run {hellip} [and] it is very likely they will spend more on interest because of borrowing in renminbi."

Zheng Tianxiang , a professor of the Hong Kong and Macau Research Institute at Sun Yat-sen University and an expert on the bridge, said: "I don't understand why the loan must be in yuan only. It could be in any currency, which would allow Hong Kong and overseas lenders to participate. Only then will [the governments get] the best deal on the project."

Most of the 29km bridge will be on the mainland side of the sea border.

The project has been fast-tracked by Beijing as part of its 4 trillion yuan stimulus package to counter the global economic crisis. Work on building it will begin this year and is expected to take until 2016.

Raymond So Wai-man, an associate professor of finance at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said it would make more sense to make the loan a multi-currency one. He said the currency issue was worthy of thorough examination since there would be more cross-border infrastructure projects in the future.

However, Charles Li Kui-wai, associate professor of City University's economics and finance department, does not think borrowing in yuan creates any currency risk. Denominating the contracts in yuan was a political issue, he said.

The Transport and Housing Bureau said the cost of the bridge was estimated in yuan because it was going to be built mainly in mainland waters.

It said the government had taken into account the prevailing yuan interest rate and the likelihood of it strengthening against other currencies when estimating the cost of the project.

A group co-ordinating preparations for the project will hire a financial consultant to help the three governments get the best deal.

OMG i just seen this project its massive!

is it under construction! another first :)

OMG i just seen this project its massive!

is it under construction! another first :)

No shovels in the ground yet.

Bridge 'to create 18,000 jobs'
20 December 2008
South China Morning Post

The construction of the Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai bridge and its related works will create 18,000 jobs for Hong Kong, the government estimates.

Secretary for Transport and Housing Eva Cheng said workers would be needed to build facilities including a Hong Kong port, a transport link to the mainland, the Tuen Mun-Chek Lap Kok link, and the Tuen Mun western bypass, which have been planned to link the bridge to different areas.

But she acknowledged local workers might not be hired for the construction of the main bridge, because the major works would be carried out in mainland waters and tendering requirements meant local companies would not be guaranteed work.

Ms Cheng was speaking at yesterday's Legislative Council transport panel meeting, to seek support for the approval of HK$233.5 million for Hong Kong's share of preliminary design and site investigation costs for the bridge. The application will be tabled to Legco's Finance Committee early next year.

She said bridge tolls would be kept low, as the project was not intended to make a profit. "It is the three governments' consensus that the toll should be as low as possible, after covering costs," the minister said.

While most panel members supported the project as a whole, some raised doubts about its economic benefit to the city.

"I am worried that no one will use the bridge. Look at the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Corridor. Drivers scarcely use it even though it is free," Democrat Kam Nai-wai said.

Raymond Ho Chung-tai, representing the engineering sector, said the plan for three border checkpoints - one in each territory - would be inconvenient. But Ms Cheng said she saw no room to change this.

Fanny W. Y. Fung

深圳中山建通道 搶港珠澳橋物流; 珠三角東西岸 落實新增兩大橋
19 February 2009
香港經濟日報

廣東省交通廳廳長透露，為解決珠三角東西兩岸連接通道不夠的問題，將在虎門大橋的上下各建一條過江通道，其中連接番禺與東莞的蓮花山大橋已確定，力爭早日動工；另一條由深圳至中山的大橋，也預計於年內完成可行性報告。廣東省兩條接通珠三角東西岸大橋建成後，預料將使港珠澳大橋的作用大減，特別是香港期望力爭吸納珠三角西岸貨源的如意算盤打不響。

廣東省多年前已開始規劃建跨江通道，打通珠三角東西岸，並於1997年6月建成虎門大橋，成為接通珠三角東西岸的僅有通道。目前虎門大橋交通量日趨飽和，日平均車流量達5萬多輛，最高峰時達到6.7萬輛，節假日時常出現擁堵現象。

廣東省早在2002年，已開始策劃建跨江通道，但為避免影響一直進行的港珠澳大橋洽談，對相關規劃一直低調處理，如今港珠澳大橋已落實興建，加上《珠江三角洲地區改革發展規劃綱要》出台，使多年來「隱而不發」的建議，馬上加速進行。

跨江大橋 1小時往來東西岸

不過，香港著力推動興建港珠澳大橋，一個重要原因是希望打通珠三角西岸，拉動當地的人流、貨流來港，更進一步接通廣西及東盟一帶，使香港在貨運上，能重拾已被深圳取代的地位。但現在廣東省加快建跨江大橋，使兩岸的往來時間可縮短至1小時，珠三角西岸的貨源，肯定會選擇路程較短、收費較平的深圳港外運，港珠澳大橋作用將大為降低。

中山大學港澳珠江三角洲研究中心教授鄭天祥表示，蓮花山大橋由於在虎門大橋之上，主要連接番禺與東莞，對香港影響有限，但已列入《珠江三角洲地區改革發展規劃綱要》的深中大橋一旦建成，則肯定對香港造成壓力。

學者歎港乏危機感 起步慢

鄭天祥慨歎，香港缺乏危機感，起步太慢，「中央已批出50億建港珠澳大橋，是希望能趕快動工，《綱要》已批准建深中大橋，路程僅是港珠澳大橋一半，兩三年就可建成，若港珠澳大橋還不加緊動工，很容易被趕過。」

港府房屋及運輸局發言人表示，三地政府已於去年12月1日為大橋主體工程的初步設計進行招標，預計於今年4月啟動初步設計，爭取港珠澳大橋項目盡快及不遲於2010年動工。三地政府已招聘財務顧問，以協助篩選貸款牽頭銀行的工作，以及協助三地政府日後與牽頭行談判借貸條件。

發言人說，港珠澳大橋在促進香港、澳門和珠江三角洲西岸地區經濟上的進一步發展，有非常重要的策略價值。

深圳中山建通道 搶港珠澳橋物流; 珠三角東西岸 落實新增兩大橋


Good News, I hope.?:?

I heard on Pheonix (HK) news this project is due to begin sometime this year.

Banks lining up to finance bridge
Hong Kong Standard
Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Four state-owned banks, three of them listed in Hong Kong, are interested in financing the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge project.

The locally listed institutions are Bank of China, China Construction Bank, and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.

The trio and China Development Bank are bidding for the loan tender.

According to the tender invitation, a qualified bank has to be registered in the mainland; have 220 billion yuan (HK$250 billion) net assets and have offered a 5 billion yuan syndicated loan before.

The banks will offer 58 percent of the construction cost estimated to be 37.5 billion yuan.

The remainder of the cost will be shared by the three local governments plus the central government.

The Hong Kong government will contribute a capital payment of 6.75 billion yuan (42.9 percent), the Beijing government, 5 billion yuan together with 2 billion yuan from the Guangdong government (44.5 percent). Macau will only contribute 2 billion yuan (12.5 percent).

The construction and related works will create 18,000 jobs for Hong Kong, the government estimates. The three governments are also studying a pilot scheme to allow vehicles to cross the boundary in preparation for completion of the bridge in 2016.

Consortium to design mega bridge chosen
3 March 2009
Hong Kong Standard

A consortium of three mainland and two foreign companies has been chosen to design the HK$82 billion Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, with work scheduled to begin in December.

CCCC Highway Consultants, a subsidiary of the Hong Kong-listed China Communications Construction; CCCC First Harbor Engineering; the Shanghai Tunnel Engineering and Rail Transit Design and Research Institute; Britain's Ove Arup and Partners Hong Kong; and Danish company Cowi bid HK$200 million to win the project.

A source told The Standard government officials from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau met in Zhuhai last week to vet the three bids before selecting the consortium. Tenders were called last December.

Construction will officially commence on or about December 20 _ the 10th anniversary of Macau's handover _ though the source said reclamation work in seas off Macau and Guangdong may begin as early as July. The project's completion date is set for 2015.

The bridge design will include the route and relevant facilities along the route, the main bridges, the tunnels, the man-made islands, transport engineering, landscape and environmental protection facilities.

Officials at last week's meeting also confirmed the overall construction cost of 72.6 billion yuan (HK$82.23 billion), which is much higher than the original estimate of 40 billion yuan.

The majority of the payment will be met by a syndicated loan up to 56.9 billion yuan offered by the Bank of China, China Construction Bank, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and the China Development Bank.

The Hong Kong government will contribute about 6.75 billion yuan, the Beijing government 5 billion yuan, Guangdong 2 billion yuan and Macau 2 billion yuan.

The 29.6-kilometer bridge is expected to run from San Shek Wan on Lantau Island to Gongbei in Zhuhai and A Perola in Macau.

The connecting roads in Hong Kong are about 12.6km while those in the mainland will be 13.9km, according to the government.

The construction and related works are expected to create 18,000 jobs for Hong Kong residents, according to government estimates.

Travel times between Hong Kong and Macau and Zhuhai will be cut substantially.

China Communications Construction To Design Massive Bridge
6 March 2009

HONG KONG (Dow Jones)--China Communications Construction Co. (1800.HK) said Friday it won a bid to design a bridge extending from Hong Kong to gambling enclave Macau and the border city of Zhuhai.

China Communications said in a statement it beat two other contestants in the bidding process, but it didn't name them or provide other details.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang said last year the Hong Kong, Macau and Chinese governments had agreed to put up CNY15.73 billion to build the bridge.

Those amounts will cover 42% of the CNY37.45 billion construction cost of the bridge, with the rest to be raised through loan facilities, Tsang said.

Tsang said at the time that work on the bridge should begin by 2010, but a starting date has yet to be announced.

wow... when this starts in 2009 it will be the amazing to see construction pictures :)
i just hope they'll start it as they said...

It's going to be started! :okay:

HK Gov't Press Release:
Contract for preliminary design of HK-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge signed (with photos) (http://info.gov.hk/gia/general/200903/13/P200903130192.htm)

Xinhua News:
Premier (Wen Jiabao): Bridge connecting Hong Kong, Macao and Zhuhai to be built this year (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-03/13/content_11005699.htm)

once the construction starts

Furthermore what is going to happen at the gongbei border gate and underground shopping center? Should it not be completely redesigned as it has to fit

the terminus of the light rail systems - 6 tracks
a 6 lane road to connect the bridge to the guangzhou highway in nanping
bus terminal

its going to be

Bridge will be finished on time despite delays, says roads chief
14 March 2009
South China Morning Post

Hong Kong was lagging behind in work on its connecting facilities for the cross-delta bridge linking it with Zhuhai and Macau, Director of Highways Wai Chi-sing said yesterday.

But the project's designers said the delay would not hold up work on the bridge, which is expected to be completed before 2016.

Speaking after a contract-signing ceremony in Zhuhai that signalled the start of design work on the 37.45 billion yuan (HK$42.53 billion) project, Mr Wai said work on building the bridge's border checkpoint northeast of Chek Lap Kok airport would not begin until the middle of next year.

"Our highest aim, of course, is to finish our work at the same time as the main bridge structure, but we only learned that we needed to build a checkpoint in 2007, so we are lagging behind a bit," he said.

Ove Arup & Partners, a partner of the China Highway Planning and Design Institute that won the tender for the design work, said six years was more than enough to build both the checkpoint and connecting roads into the city, such as the Tuen Mun western bypass.

"It should take only about four years," said Arup director Naeem Hussain. The central government will oversee work on the main structure, which comprises a 6.75km tunnel, two artificial islands and a bridge 22.85km long.

Each government will manage work on its own border checkpoints and connecting roads. Macau is expected to start constructing a building to house its and Zhuhai's border checkpoints this year.

Hong Kong is still waiting for the findings, due in June, of an assessment of the environmental impact on Tung Chung residents of buildings for its border checkpoint. After that, the government will have to finish a second round of public consultation before it can move on to the detailed planning stage. The government plans to seek funding from the Legislative Council in June.

Another Arup director, Daman Lee, said the other two governments would not necessarily finish their checkpoints first despite starting earlier. "Macau needs to work out a time schedule with Zhuhai and they also have plans to develop the area around the checkpoint, so there are other considerations."

Zhang Xigang, of the China Highway Planning and Design Institute, said a consortium involving two other firms would carry out survey and design work simultaneously to ensure the preliminary work could be finished in nine months.

東涌居民抗議建人工島
22/03/2009
http://the-sun.on.cc/channels/img/endmarker.gif

【本報訊】耗資七百億元人民幣興建的港珠澳大橋工程陸續上馬，但香港口岸選址仍備受爭議。二十多名東涌居民昨日發起遊行，抗議政府在赤繮角機場以東興建人工島作為香港口岸，令東涌居民飽受噪音及空氣污染之苦，示威人士亦痛斥政府假諮詢，未有正視民意，要求政府將口岸改在機場以西的海灣興建。

二十多名東涌居民，包括映灣園、海堤灣畔及藍天海岸的住戶昨日遊行至離島民政事務處抗議，他們手執橫額並大叫「抗議政府假諮詢」的口號，又將過千市民簽名連同請願信寄給發展局局長林鄭月娥及民政事務總署。

海堤灣畔業委會副主席林悅表示，政府早前就口岸選址進行了七場的諮詢會，他出席了其中五場，當中共有二百多名市民反對政府建議的東面口岸方案，僅一人贊成，但事後政府仍一意孤行採納該方案。「政府根本只顧經濟效益方面尠想，漠視居民心聲。」

Bank of China picked to lead lending on mega-bridge

BEIJING, March 20 (Reuters) - Bank of China said on Friday that it had been chosen as the lead bank for the financing of a huge bridge connecting Hong Kong with Macau and the city of Zhuhai in southern China.

Banks will finance 22 billion yuan ($3.22 billion) of the 37.6 billion yuan investment, Bank of China said on its website, without giving details on what proportion of the loans it would be providing.

The remaining funds will be provided by the Chinese central government along with the governments of Guangdong province, Macau and Hong Kong, the statement said.

Officials have previously said that bank loans would be repaid from toll fees on the bridge, the construction of which is expected to start as early as this year.

With Beijing calling on banks to support its stimulus plans, China's state-owned lenders have been rushing to provide credit to big government-backed infrastructure projects that are seen as posing next to no default risk.

The bridge will connect Zhuhai, a city in the southwest of the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong province, to the rest of the delta area and will slash travel times to Hong Kong. Currently, only ferries connect Zhuhai and Macau with Hong Kong. ($1=6.826 Yuan)

Beijing's investment in delta span unprecedented, designers say
14 March 2009
South China Morning Post

The central government had invested an unprecedented amount of manpower and resources in the cross-delta bridge given its political importance and technical complexity, project designers said.

Zhang Xigang of the China Highway Planning and Design Institute, the project's lead design firm, said it was the first time it had handled a job that combined a bridge, tunnel and artificial islands.

"Apart from technical challenges, the Pearl River estuary is also one of the busiest navigation channels and habitat of the Chinese white dolphin. We needed to put in our best team and technology," he said, adding that they would avoid working in the dolphin breeding season.

Up to 70 engineering experts, including 15 from overseas, will participate in the bridge's preliminary work.

The head of the project's advance work co-ordination group, Zhu Yonglin, said a lot of advanced technology would go into the bridge, which was being designed to last 120 years.

Naeem Hussain, director and fellow of the institute's partner Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong, said his firm would carefully control the number and dimensions of the bridge's columns to maintain current flow and minimise the work's impact on ship movements and the white dolphins.

Mr Hussain said another challenge was wind speed, which could reach 95 metres a second during a typhoon - 10 times as high as on a normal day.

But he said Arup had experience in tackling such challenges from its work on the Stonecutters Bridge, expected to be finished by the end of this year.

The cross-delta bridge's design and survey work will begin on Sunday.

Stretching across the boundaries
2 April 2009
New Civil Engineer

SPECIAL REPORT:HONG KONG-ZHUHAI-MACAU CROSSING - Plans for a 38km crossing between Hong Kong and Macau are pressing ahead with the appointment of Arup as lead designer. Jessica Rowson reports.

The Hong Kong-ZhuhaiMacau crossing is a giant in the world of bridges and tunnels. It will be the first major marine bridge and tunnel project in China, stretching a mammouth 38km between Lantau island in the south west of Hong Kong across the mouth of the Pearl river delta to the island of Macau and Zhuhai on the Chinese mainland.

The project has been on the drawing board for some time after frst being discussed by politicians in the 1980s. The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Advance Work Coordination Group was established in 2003 and the China's Central Government and the regional governments of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau agreed fnance last summer.

"The idea of having a bridge came more than 20 years ago around 1983 and came from a local tycoon named Sir Gordon Wu, " says Arup director Daman Lee.

Arup has been involved with the Hong Kong section for the last four years and was officially appointed to carry out the preliminary design work for the 30km Chinese section last month in joint venture with Highway & Planning Design Institute (Beijing), COWI, First Harbour and Shanghai Tunnel.

"He frst proposed to shorten the over four hours journey from Hong Kong across the Pearl River Delta to Zhuhai so that cross-boundary import/export and port facilities in the region could be made more efficient, " says Lee.

"It is a fact that the Pearl River Delta region accounts for some 40% of China's GDP and hence it makes good sense to provide such infrastructure to continue the development pace around there. Also, such a link would help in promoting tourism in both directions as well as getting visitors to Macau." Now the funding is in place, the hard work really starts.

The crossing is split into two sections. The longest is in Chinese waters between China and the Hong Kong /China border in the South China Sea.

This connects with the Hong Kong section which runs for 8km from the border to Lantau island.

"The team we have is at the forefront of technology, " says Arup fellow and global bridge leader Naeem Hussain. "Among us, we have done some of the longest bridge crossings in the world. There's been some healthy cross-fertilisation." Four ffths of the length of the 30km main section is made up of a combination of cable stayed bridges and viaducts with the remainder an immersed tube tunnel. The crossing runs across the mouth of the Pearl River Delta which is a major river route. Cable stayed bridges will cross three navigation channels spanning between 290m and 450m. An immersed tube tunnel will take the crossing under a fourth navigation channel close to Lantau Island. Its proximity to Hong Kong's Chek Lap Kok airport precluded bridge construction, meaning that a 5.5km immersed tube tunnel was the best option.

"The crossing is in a main navigation channel, " says Hussain. "There is an airport nearby, so we could not build a bridge [in that area] which was the reason for the tunnel. The immersed tube is the longest in the world at 5.5km long." As well as crossing navigation channels, the design had to minimise the bridge's impact on the estuary fows. The design team did this by limiting the size and numbers of columns in the water. The viaducts between the cable stay structures will span between 70m and 110m, reducing the number of columns needed and only one column is used per support point. The design team is also looking to bury pile caps in the sea bed.

"Long span viaducts allow the water to fow, " says Hussain.

"Also we will bury the pile caps in the sea. Normally the pile caps are up around sea level.

However, by burying the pile caps, the only obstruction to the water fow will be the columns.

The pile caps will be precast and dropped into a local excavation." Work on the crossing is due to start later this year and is due to be completed by 2016. Prefabrication holds the key to keeping construction work to this gruelling schedule.

"To complete by 2016, there has to be lots of ofsite fabrication, " says Hussain. "We are looking to minimise onsite works. We will be using precast columns and decks. There is lots of experience in prefabrication in Hong Kong. Similar to Korea and China, construction in bridges is moving to production in factories and assembly on site.

It gives good quality control and speed. We'll be doing deck at the same time as the foundations." The tunnel will be made of 100m long precast concrete segments and the deck will be made from precast concrete box sections.

"A lot of the [bridge] crossings in China are on the basis of two separate box structures [one for each carriageway] with two columns, " said Hussain.

"This one, we're making wide boxes [the width of the whole dual carriageway] and using single columns. This type of deck will be used for the cable stayed bridges too. It will speed up construction and the single column means there is less obstruction to the water." Piers for the cable stayed bridges will be around 170m tall meaning that they will be visible for miles. The centralised towers are elegant and slim-looking with a single row of cables down the middle.

"The bridge will be quite visible to anyone taking of from the airport, it's at the mouth of the delta so it will be seen from land, from Zuhai, Macau, Hong Kong, " says Hussain. "We want visual continuity between the tunnels and the facilities on the reclaimed land and the bridges.

The centralised towers have a slim, elegant look. We don't have huge A-frame towers."

Creating the two islands where the tunnel dives under the sea involves a considerable land reclamation work.

"The border crossing facility in Hong Kong will have to be created from scratch as a reclaimed island, " said Lee. "It's 120ha so it's quite a big place. A car would come in from Zhuhai, go through customs and then onto Hong Kong. Or it would park there and public transport would be used. Macau is too small to allow for car tra c so all cars [from Hong Kong and China will have to] park [at the border crossing] and take public transport".

With the clock ticking until work starts on this project, the focus is now on getting the details right.

"The next stage is to develop designs, " says Hussain. "We will start construction at end of year.

We are taking the design to the next stage. It will be a design and build contract with the fnal detailing done by contractors, but the whole scheme will be detailed precisely and then the contractor does the fabrication drawings and builds from them.

"With nine to 12 months before we start construction, there has to be a focused approach to design. The challenges are twofold. We need a construction methodology to be able to build it in a four to five year period and we need quality, a design that is aesthetically pleasing."

RTHK News:
HK-Zhuhai bridge toll may be near HK$100 (http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/20090414/news_20090414_56_574021.htm)

Funding for tri-city mega-bridge in S China secured, gov'ts say
Kyodo News

HONG KONG, April 14 -- The governments of Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macao and the Bank of China said Tuesday they have reached funding arrangements for the construction of a mega-bridge that will link the three cities in southern China.

The construction cost of the main section of the Y-shaped 35-kilometer, six-lane Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao bridge is about 38 billion yuan ($5.6 billion).

''We have reached an important milestone for the project,'' Transport and Housing Secretary Eva Cheng told reporters. ''The governments providing capital for the project could lower the risk brought by the global financial crisis.''

The governments will cover 42 percent of the cost, and the Bank of China will act as a lead bank to form a consortium to provide a 35-year loan for the rest of the financing.

The Zhuhai government will provide about 7 billion yuan in funding, Hong Kong 6.75 billion yuan and Macao 1.98 billion yuan, while the bank will offer a loan of about 22 billion yuan at a low rate.

''A 35-year loan is the longest the Bank of China has offered,'' bank President Li Lihui said. ''We are honored to be trusted as being the lead bank to form a consortium for the loan.''

The three governments will also provide extra funding to build their own connecting sections of the bridge, which is expected to be completed by 2016.

The plan to build the mega-bridge was first contemplated in the 1980s, but Beijing only gave a green light to study the plan in 2003.

Travel time between Hong Kong and the two cities via the bridge would be cut to about half an hour from an hour or more now.

100-buck bridge
Hong Kong Standard
Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Toll charges for the Hong Kong-Zhuhai- Macau bridge could be as low as HK$100 for private cars - just over twice the fee motorists pay to use the Western Harbour Tunnel.

The toll charges will be kept low for the bridge - which will stretch almost 30 kilometers - because of favorable loan terms by the Bank of China, Secretary for Transport and Housing Eva Cheng Yue-wah said yesterday.

Cheng made the upbeat assessment after representatives of the Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macau governments announced agreement on the financing arrangements for the bridge, which will cost 37.73 billion yuan (HK$42.77 billion).

The governments will contribute 42 percent of the cost, with the mainland chipping in 7 billion yuan, Hong Kong 6.75 billion yuan and Macau 1.98 billion yuan.

The remaining 22 billion yuan will come from loans led by the Bank of China, with banks from all three regions allowed to participate.

The interest rate of the loan can be fixed or floating and will be 10 percent below the basis interest rate, which is the lowest level that can be offered according to mainland legislation.

The loan will be repaid within 35 years of the bridge's opening.

BOC president Li Lihui said: "This is a project which involves the longest period of loan repayment to which BOC has ever committed. But the risk is low and our management cost is also low."

Cheng said BOC had come up with a flexible and attractive financial arrangement. "We may be able to set the toll at the low
end of our previous assumption. We assumed HK$100 to HK$200 for private cars and HK$200 to HK$300 for trucks."

Cheng added that other factors such as daily expenses, traffic load and the state of the economy have to be taken into consideration.

The Western Harbour Tunnel charges HK$45 for private cars and HK$55 to HK$110 for trucks, depending on the size. As for the 6.75 billion yuan committed by the Hong Kong government, Cheng said she will seek funding from the Legislative Council Finance Committee before the summer recess.

A consortium of international and local firms is now drawing up preliminary designs for the 29.6-kilometer bridge, which is slated for completion by 2015 to 2016. Cheng said the three regions will strive to commence work this year.

A 130-hectare artificial island off the east side of the airport at Chek Lap Kok will be constructed. Cheng explained a port will be set up on the island, which will also be linked with Hong Kong and Shenzhen airports.

The three sides will set up a committee, which will decide on an authority responsible for financing, tendering, designing, construction, operation and management of the bridge.

China Communications may secure bridge deal
16 April 2009
South China Morning Post

China Communications Construction has a high chance of winning a substantial share of the project to build the Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai Bridge, which is worth more than 70 billion yuan (HK$79.4 billion), analysts say.

Construction of the three-way bridge was scheduled to begin by the end of this year, so the contract would be awarded in the latter part of this year, said Meng Fengchao, a vice-chairman of the infrastructure construction firm. "We hope to get a piece of the action."

Shortly before the firm signed a contract to design the bridge last month, Premier Wen Jiabao announced that construction must begin by the end of the year, said Mr Meng. "So we changed our plans. Our burden will be large."

China Communications led the consortium that won the 200 million yuan design contract. Another consortium which included China Railway Group, a rail construction firm, lost the bid, said Macquarie analyst Anderson Chow.

"The fact that China Communications is doing the design gives it a very strong competitive advantage in winning the construction contract," said Mr Chow.

China Communications was expected to win the contract to build the bridge portion of the project, which is worth about 40 billion yuan, due to its track record in building bridges, including the 36-kilometre Hangzhou Bay Bridge, the world's longest sea-crossing bridge, he said.

"This is a challenging project, and only the most experienced companies will be selected. So China Communications will be a leading candidate," said Daiwa Institute analyst Geoffrey Cheng.

The project involves a 28km three-way bridge, a 6.7km undersea tunnel in the middle and two artificial islands, which must be dredged.

Because China Communications is one of the world's largest dredging firms, it stands a good chance of participating in this project, according to a source.

Despite the crisis, China Communications chief economist Liu Wensheng was confident that the overseas portion of the firm's revenue would rise to 25 per cent this year.

Last year, its turnover was 178.89 billion yuan, of which about 20 per cent came from overseas, largely Africa, said Mr Liu.

However, Phillip Securities analyst Carmen Wong believes the overseas portion of China Communications' revenue will shrink this year due to the global financial crisis.

Bank of China deal to keep bridge tolls down
15 April 2009
South China Morning Post

Private car drivers may pay just HK$100, or even less, to use the bridge linking Hong Kong with Macau and Zhuhai, thanks to a financing package which the Bank of China described as one of the best it has offered.

Bank of China (BOC) was selected as the lead bank to provide the three governments a loan of 22 billion yuan (HK$25 billion) or 58 per cent of the construction cost of the main bridge. It will charge an interest rate 10 per cent lower than its benchmark lending rate - the lowest possible allowed by the state authorities.

The 35-year repayment period is also one of the longest offered for major infrastructure projects.

"BOC is being realistic [to allow such a long repayment period], because no one can be sure how the bridge will perform in the future," a source at the bank said.

BOC president Li Lihui said the bank could provide the entire loan but sought to encourage other banks, including those in Hong Kong and Macau, to participate. "As the project bears such significance in both the social and economic aspects, we hope more banks can participate in the consortium," he said.

But the source said local banks may not be interested, or only be interested in providing a small loan, because they have smaller yuan holdings compared with mainland banks and they might be deterred by the long repayment period.

Hong Kong's Secretary for Transport and Housing, Eva Cheng, said all banks had an equal chance to join the consortium. The transport minister said the favourable lending terms allowed authorities to minimise tolls - calculated based on the project's lending terms, operating costs and income.

"Under the current financial arrangement, the tolls could be set at the lower end of our projected range. For example private cars - for which we expected to charge between HK$100 and HK$200 per trip - may now be charged HK$100."

The likely toll for trucks was about HK$200. But the final tolls could be lower as the estimates were based on a conservative traffic-flow-projection which assumed the existing cross-border vehicle quota system remained unchanged.

A limited number of vehicles are currently allowed to cross the border. This will be expanded, as the government plans to introduce a temporary cross-border permit for local drivers. A trial will be conducted this year.

Wang Yaming, vice-chairman of the Guangdong Development and Reform Commission, said the bridge's operator would not be a government department nor a private enterprise, although it would be monitored by the three governments. The governments are not required to indemnify the loan, and BOC cannot claim ownership of the bridge if the governments fail to pay, but it can then assume the right to impose charges.

合組事業單位管理
15 April 2009
香港經濟日報

　　粵港澳三地政府解決了港珠澳大橋的融資問題後，就大橋的建造及營運管理模式提出新合作機制，擬設雙層架構，先設「三地聯合工作委員會」督導，下設「事業單位」負責日常管理及運作，增加大橋經營靈活性。

　　港府運輸及房屋局表示，大橋目前的規劃，是由三地合組的前期工作協調小組處理，日後組織框架及模式，三地達成共識設委員會，模式接近現在的協調小組。

三地組雙層架構

　　委員會之下，將設「港珠澳大橋管理局」，管理局屬內地所謂的「事業單位」模式運作，負責具體組織項目實施，包括融資、招標、設計、建設、營運和管理等，管理局須向「三方聯合工作委員會」負責。運輸局指，三地政府將會通過協議釐定權責問題，詳細組織架構現正由三地與所聘請的專項法律顧問深入研究。

　　內地所謂的「事業單位」，其實與本港的「事業法人」相近，事業法人不屬正規的部門，大橋將來運作管理方面更加方便及靈活，就如以往港府轄下的九鐵公司，獨立營運鐵路。

Lower tolls expected to mean more traffic on HK-Macau-Zhuhai bridge
25 April 2009
South China Morning Post

The government has revised its projection on traffic flow for the future Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai bridge, with estimates showing that 40 per cent more vehicles will use the link than previously forecast.

Secretary for Transport and Housing Eva Cheng said a revision was made because the tolls could be kept low after the Bank of China offered a low interest rate on the 22 billion yuan (HK$25 billion) loan for construction of the bridge, thus reducing operating costs.

"In past documents we submitted to the Legislative Council, we have used a conservative projection based on a report by the China Highway Planning and Design Institute. At that time the tender had yet to be conducted and financing arrangements were not yet clear," Ms Cheng told Legco's transport panel yesterday. "Now we have secured preferential financing terms. With the latest cost estimation, we believe the traffic flow will be about 40 per cent more than in the previous projection."

Under the original projection, 9,200 to 14,000 vehicles would use the bridge per day in 2016, and the figure would gradually rise to 35,700 to 49,200 in 2035.

Ms Cheng pledged to provide detailed revised figures to the Finance Committee's public works body when it sought funding approval from lawmakers.

The government would consider introducing short-term cross-border vehicle licences for drivers to use the bridge, the minister said. If a pilot scheme on short-term licences for the Western Corridor, which would be launched by the end of this year, was successful, similar permits might be used on the bridge.

Legislator Lau Kong-wah, of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, raised concerns about possible environmental pollution from mainland vehicles in the city, while the Democratic Party's Lee Wing-tat said more cross-border permits should be issued to Hongkongers.

The quota for vehicles travelling to the mainland would significantly exceed that for mainland vehicles coming to Hong Kong, Ms Cheng said in reply to Mr Lau's concerns.

Tolls for private cars and trucks would be HK$100 and HK$200, respectively. Construction of the bridge has been scheduled to start by the end of this year.

The Bank of China will charge an interest rate 10 per cent lower than its benchmark lending rate, which is the lowest allowed by the state authorities, on the loan for the three governments to build the main section of the bridge.

Link road for Zhuhai bridge will damage Lantau's coastline
5 May 2009
South China Morning Post

The Highways Department has hoodwinked the public over the impact of the proposed route of the link road from the Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai bridge and is now trying to do the same to members of the Legislative Council.

There is strong public opposition to the proposed route of the link road of the bridge, after it reaches Hong Kong.

Tung Chung Sustainable Development Alliance and other local community organisations have voiced concerns to the department regarding the impact of the proposed link road and have made counter proposals for a viable alternative.

The Highways Department's plan will result in:

Vehicle emissions and noise pollution within half a kilometre of Tung Chung town centre and other residential developments;

Permanent damage to Tung Chung Bay and the surrounding Lantau Island coastline; and

Damage to the Lantau Island-Tung Chung tourist experience and for visitors using the Ngong Ping 360 cable car, with a potential economic impact by reducing the tourist attraction of the area.

There is an alternative route for the link road. Tung Chung Sustainable Development Alliance has provided a new outline plan to the department.

The alternative route would:

Lessen vehicle emissions and noise pollution affecting Tung Chung residents as the road would be located out of sight of Tung Chung town centre;

Avoid a negative impact on health of the Tung Chung population; and

Ensure there is no impact on the natural beauty of the Lantau coastline and Tung Chung Bay.

We urge the Legislative Council Panel on Transport to take account of the public opposition to the road route proposed by the department.

It should adopt a plan that lessens the negative impact of this bridge.

There will be huge damage to the undersea environment, the coastline, to dolphins and to the health of Hong Kong people if the Highways Department does not agree to change the plans for this road.

Martin Purbrick, for Tung Chung Sustainable Development Alliance

Tung Chung Sustainable Development Alliance and other local community organisations have voiced concerns to the department regarding the impact of the proposed link road and have made counter proposals for a viable alternative.

Any details of that?

Any details of that?

Found this:
http://www.slideshare.net/DesigningHongKong/hklr-alternative-final

Basically, move the highway from south of CLK, to north of CLK; and move the boarder facility from east of CLK to west of CLK.

Bridge billions clear early Legco hurdle
7 May 2009
Hong Kong Standard

Lawmakers have endorsed the release of HK$9.46 billion to kick-start the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge project.

The Legislative Council's public works subcommittee yesterday also approved HK$620 million to build the landing point in Hong Kong.

The next and final step for the administration is to seek approval from the Finance Committee.

When the funding will be on the committee's agenda is not known, but the earliest meetings are on May 22 and June 5.

Government officials have all along indicated work will start at the end of the year and estimate it will create 18,000 jobs, of which 3,000 are for professional and technical staff.

But the League of Social Democrats' Albert Chan Wai-ip said it is inappropriate for the government to seek funds because the environmental assessment has not been completed.

The Democratic Party's Lee Wing-tat said the administration has still to define land use near the Hong Kong landing point.

Director of Highways Wai Chi-sing promised to carry out an environmental assessment.

A consortium of international and local firms is now drawing up preliminary designs for the 29.6-kilometer bridge, which is slated for completion by 2015-2016.

A 130-hectare artificial island east of Chek Lap Kok will be constructed.

The whole bridge costs 37.73 billion yuan (HK$42.77 billion), which will be funded by the three governments.

珠澳人工島 填海設計招標
10 May 2009
文匯報 (香港)

【本報珠三角新聞中心記者羅冬凱珠海9日電】港珠澳大橋前期工作協調小組日前發佈招標公告，開始對港珠澳大橋珠澳口岸人工島填海工程進行設計招標。據悉，該工程採用內地公開招標、資格後審方式進行，招標的內容包括珠澳人工島填海工程的初步設計、施工圖設計及後續服務。

擬建的港珠澳大橋珠澳口岸人工島位於珠海拱北灣南側，填海面積約216.43公頃，是港珠澳大橋重要配套工程之一。本次招標內容為珠澳口岸人工島填海工程的初步設計、施工圖設計及不含工程地質勘探工作在內的一些後續服務。

不接受聯合體投標

據悉，與以往港珠澳大橋相關工程的招標要求不同，珠澳人工島的招標要求投標人必須以獨立投標人形式投標，不接受聯合體投標。招標實行資格後審規則，要求投標人應為獨立法人單位，具有建設部頒發的工程設計綜合甲級資質，或水運行業(港口工程)設計甲級資質，或海洋行業設計甲級資質，或公路行業設計甲級資質；投標人須在近10年內，至少完成2項或以上單個面積100萬平方米或以上海洋環境下造地及軟土地基處理項目的設計工作，具備承擔本招標項目設計的人員、設備等技術力量和能力。招標單位將在5月13日當天發售招標文件。

魯平促港發展實體經濟
9 May 2009

【明報專訊】參與香港回歸中英談判的重要人物、前國務院港澳辦主任魯平在其回憶錄《魯平口述香港回歸》一書中，特別談及香港回歸後的經濟問題，指香港單靠發展金融業支柱並不足夠，「光靠CEPA，光靠『自由行』，不解決問題」，他強調香港要走多元化道路，發展實體經濟。

魯平在回憶錄中，又提到首任特首董建華，形容董建華是很正直的人，任勞任怨，但他是商人，不是政治家，作為領導人，「好人政治」是行不通的。

指港府不理港珠澳橋河套建議

現時香港積極爭取與廣東省加強經濟合作，以及興建港珠澳大橋和發展邊境河套區等。但魯平在回憶錄中指出，港珠澳大橋早於90年代籌委會時期已提出，而廣東亦一早建議香港和深圳在河套區發展科技基地，共同開發高科技產品，然而方案提了很久，香港政府都沒有興趣，不理不睬。

魯平形容，現在上海已經有洋山港這深水港，二期、三期完成以後，肯定大大超過香港。他說，香港要有憂患意識，「光靠CEPA，光靠『自由行』，不解決問題。金融業固然是一個支柱，但畢竟是虛擬經濟，錢來得快也去得快。香港的經濟要向多元化的方向發展，虛擬經濟要以實體經濟為基礎。」

他又指出，若香港不抓緊發展，很可能會在某些方面失去競爭力，故香港應作全面、長遠的規劃，並要和整個國家的規劃緊密結合。

魯平又提到，當年中央曾經醞釀過在1997年前由一個中英認同推舉的香港中國公民擔任副總督，回歸後自然成為第一任特首，但最後因為末代港督彭定康而令方案未能提出。

稱董建華「好人政治」行不通

他又形容董建華是正直的人，的確想給香港做點事，「但是他畢竟是個商人，不是個政治家。我往往說作為一個領導人，『好人政治』是行不通的。他一個人在那兒孤軍奮戰。新選出來的特首要取得英方留下來的整個一套公務員班子的合作，形成有效管理體制，不是一件容易的事，其間會產生很多問題，要是像原來設想的有個副總督，事情就好辦多了。」

Is a photo update about this bridge? Thanks

Is a photo update about this bridge? Thanks

the construction hasn't even started. it's still on paper.

Bridge projects will meet criteria for sustainable development
16 May 2009
South China Morning Post

We refer to Paul Zimmerman's letter ("New bridge appears even more ill-conceived as details emerge", May 7) concerning the projects associated with the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge.

The government is committed to sustainable development and has conducted robust environmental impact assessments on the cumulative impact of various projects associated with the bridge. The findings reveal that, with effective measures, the projects will meet the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance requirements for air, noise and visual etc. The impact on Tung Chung residents will be minimal, as we put the proposed boundary crossing facilities about 2km away from them.

We have examined different options before coming up with the recommended layout. It will cause less resistance to water flow and impact on navigation safety; avoid affecting 2km of natural coastline and 35 hectares of country park on west Lantau; cause less impact on the dolphins populated more densely in the western waters of the airport island; and reduce 1.8km of total seawall length. We also find running the Hong Kong link road along the north side of airport island not feasible since it will affect the operation and safety of the airport. It will also cause an extra 3km detour, thus increasing social costs, such as time and fuel consumption, and exhaust emissions; cost HK$13b more in construction; and require all-day ventilation and lighting for the tunnel. Overall, the recommended proposal meets the sustainable development criteria more.

Concerning linkage with the airport and other transport infrastructures, we will make use of the existing automated people mover to enable passengers travelling between the border crossing facility and the airport to progress without the need for custom clearance. There will also be space reserved for the future airport rail link. We have, however, no plan to link up the border crossing facility with a new MTR system. Traffic studies confirmed that the proposed border crossing facility can cope with the passengers and traffic demand brought by the bridge.

K.M. Bok, chief engineer Highways Department

Protect dolphins or else, warns group
Hong Kong Standard
Thursday, May 21, 2009

Hong Kong's famed Chinese white dolphins face environmental catastrophe unless moves are made to protect their habitat from a rash of construction projects.

The warning comes from the World Wide Fund for Nature, which is calling for Tai O and the Soko Islands off Lantau to be declared marine parks.

WWF says environmental impact studies for 10 impending infrastructure and leisure projects covering northern Lantau fail to address the affects they will have on dolphins.

Their habitat stretches from Lantau's western, southern and northern shores to the Tuen Mun coastline.

WWF wants the Hong Kong- Zhuhai-Macau Bridge impact report, due for completion by the middle of next month, to be reworked to include a more in-depth review of the cumulative affects of several big construction projects.

"Even though there have been major reclamations before, none of them has cut right through the middle of the dolphin grounds. You just can't predict the impact on the dolphins of such a massive development in their midst," said WWF senior conservation officer Alan Leung Sze-lun.

Noise pollution is one of the leading causes of mortality among dolphins and Leung said this, together with the dredging and piling that will displace small fish the creatures eat, will be a double blow.

The city's western waters are home to more than 1,000 white dolphins.

WWF's call for new marine parks follows a 2002 endorsement by the Country and Marine Parks Board. The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said reviews into the impact on the dolphins were ongoing.

Opinion : Concerns have been factored into bridge
25 May 2009
South China Morning Post

I refer to the letters by E. E. J. Bunker ("A bridge too fast", May 8) and by Janet Walker, of Dolphinwatch ("Location of border crossing will benefit engineers, not dolphins", May 12), concerning the projects associated with the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge.

Regarding Ms Walker's concerns, the government attaches great importance to preserving the dolphin ecology when planning the bridge projects. Our aim is to minimise any impact caused to the dolphins.

An in-depth study by dolphin experts indicates that dolphins occur year-round at Sha Chau/Lung Kwu Chau, Tai O and at and near the west waters of the airport island. Their presence at and near the northeast waters of the airport island and the Brothers Islands are seasonal.

The overall densities, densities of calves, sighting densities of feeding and socialising activities are considerably higher near the west waters of the airport island. Accordingly, we put the boundary crossing facilities northeast of the airport to keep human activities further away from the west waters.

In addition we have formulated specific mitigation measures to be taken during the construction stage according to the experts' recommendation. We will establish an exclusion zone around areas of piling and dredging works to be closely monitored by experienced independent dolphin observers. Once dolphins are found within the zone work will stop until they leave. Besides, we will employ silt curtains and closed-grab during dredging and dumping operations to minimise water quality degradation; and employ bubble curtains/jacket and avoid percussive piling to prevent acoustic disturbance to dolphins. We will also apply restrictions on working vessels to reduce their disturbance to dolphin activities.

We will continue to do our best towards protecting our dolphins as well as our environment.

Regarding Mr Bunker's comments, the Hong Kong Link Road will be about 12km long running through the airport channel, linking the main bridge at the SAR boundary and the boundary crossing facilities, at the northeast waters off the airport island.

The government examined various possible sites. After balancing all the factors including environmental impact, we concluded that the border crossing facilities to be reclaimed at the waters off the northeast of the airport island most preferable. Furthermore, being linked with the roads on airport island and Tung Chung, North Lantau Highway as well as the North West New Territories via the Tuen Mun-Chek Lap Kok link and with its proximity to the airport terminal, Sky-pier, MTR stations, the border crossing facilities will serve as a strategic multi-modal transport hub.

Since September 2008, we have conducted a series of public consultation events and the layout was supported by various sectors in the community.

Regarding a rail provision for the bridge, from an engineering perspective, the gradient of a freight railway line is considerably more demanding than that of a road link.

Besides, Tsing Ma Bridge was not designed for freight loadings. Cargo would need reloading onto trucks in Lantau for transport to urban areas which is extremely inconvenient and inefficient.

Traffic projection also shows that the incorporation of railways into the bridge would not significantly increase the passenger flow volume, but would increase project costs significantly. Therefore, the provision of a railway is not viable.

K. M. Bok, chief engineer, Highways Department

Chek Lap Kok may lose last natural coast for bridge project
4 June 2009
South China Morning Post

Chek Lap Kok airport island will lose its last piece of natural coast if the latest plan for a road to the bridge linking Hong Kong with Macau and Zhuhai goes ahead.

The Town Planning Board has been asked by the government to set aside the coastal protection area zoning for the 3 hectare strip of land on the island to enable the area to be reclaimed. This is among several rezoning requests for Chek Lap Kok that will be considered tomorrow.

According to a paper submitted to the board, about 1 hectare of the protection area would be replaced by a road connecting the bridge and a checkpoint. About 7,000 square metres would be used for a backup area for maintaining the linking road while 1.4 hectares would become landscaped buffers between the road and Dragonair Tower and CNAC Tower at the airport.

The coastal protection area was originally zoned to preserve a piece of the natural landscape of Chek Lap Kok island, which was flattened and massively extended to build the airport in the 1990s.

A source at the Planning Department said the original alignment of the linking road - a bridge connecting Tung Chung to the airport island - did not affect the coastline. But the alignment was changed after strong opposition from residents of Tung Chung, who said the bridge would be an eyesore.

Alan Leung Sze-lun, senior conservation officer of WWF, urged the government to explore alternative options to save the island's last piece of natural coast.

Protected coastal area to make way for road
6 June 2009
South China Morning Post

The Town Planning Board has approved a rezoning request that paves the way for reclamation of a coastal protection area adjoining Chek Lap Kok airport.

The area is to be used for the construction of a road that will link the airport to the Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai bridge.

The decision has angered green groups and the Association for Geoconservation, which said it had not been informed of plans for the reclamation and that all possible alternatives should be considered.

Under the government's plan, the coastal protection area located east of the airport island will be rezoned to provide for construction of the link road and associated works. The new road will also link the main section of the Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai bridge to a new border checkpoint to the north of the airport.

The area earmarked for road building incorporates a natural coastline about 2km long that was originally zoned for preservation and not development.

Cheng Ting-ning, Highways Department project manager for the Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai bridge, told the board yesterday that the department had considered a few options but they had been either too costly or opposed by Tung Chung residents. One option, a tunnel running north of the airport, would cost an extra HK$13 billion, Mr Cheng said, adding it would also impose constraints on a third airport runway.

If the proposed highway were in a tunnel, it would run for 10km, which might raise safety concerns, he said. Another option - a viaduct from the hill at the island's southern tip to the new border checkpoint - had been rejected by Tung Chung residents citing air, visual and noise pollution concerns.

An Association for Geoconservation spokesman said: "The government is removing a unique character of the city's airport. The coastline under protection is a lowland and suitable for walks. It can be enhanced and turned into a recreational spot for airport staff, Tung Chung residents and visitors to hotels nearby."

The association urged the government to consider offshore reclamation for the road, without destroying the coastline. That option would also create a lagoon between the shore and the road, which would add recreational value to the site.

WWF senior conservation officer Alan Leung Sze-lun urged the government to study other options, adding that the conservation body would object to the present proposal and submit an alternative.

大橋人工島設計 4名企競標
13 June 2009
文匯報

【本報珠三角新聞中心記者劉揚廣州12日電】港珠澳大橋珠澳口岸人工島填海工程設計今日在廣州建築交易中心開標，共有4家國內知名建築公司參與投標。

據了解，擬建的港珠澳大橋珠澳口岸人工島位於珠海拱北灣南側，填海面積約為216.43公頃，是港珠澳大橋重要配套工程之一。此次開標後，將由大橋前期協調小組組織專業評審，在4家公司中確定一家作為獨立設計者。據了解，此次投標的4家企業均具備相關行業的甲級資質。

消息人士指，大橋各項前期工作正按計劃加速推進，由於開工時間提前至今年，相關部門已擬具具體開工方案，並上報國務院，目前正在待批之中。

It's a very cool project and it has finished the sea drilling! It will be much beneficial to these three areas--Pearl River Area(Zhuhai, Zhonshan,etc), Macau and Hongkong.

I am working in a communication equipment company in Zhongshan and anxious to see this happen!

www.tycc.cn
Skype: dennis_ku2008

Opinion : If polluting bridge is necessary, then keep it away from Lantau
15 June 2009
South China Morning Post

The Hong Kong government has defended its major infrastructure project, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau corridor.

It insists the link will bring enormous benefits to travellers. But it involves more roads and more cars and tourist buses. This will bring much unnecessary noise, air and light pollution to people living in Tung Chung, Fu Tung, Yat Tung and Ma Wan.

The administration has highlighted at length all the advantages this bridge will bring to the economy of Hong Kong, making cargo freight operations between Hong Kong and Zhuhai faster and more efficient. But is it really necessary? Were due diligence studies made to assess the real need for this road connection by freight forwarders?

Officials have insisted that we should be proud that Hong Kong is building such a landmark bridge that will be comparable to the "other world-class highways over the sea". But wake-up Hong Kong, we are in the 21st century. Leaders in the world's finest cities should be aiming for a greener approach and advancing environmentally friendly alternative transport solutions. They should be protecting and enhancing the natural environment, not declaring to the world that they are building more highways and that after covering every inch of land will now spoil the sea with a new road network.

If the Hong Kong and Beijing governments insist on this link then at least they can avoid building the border crossing facility on the northeast of the airport. I would refer them to the counter-proposal by the Tung Chung Sustainable Development Alliance which is to integrate the facility with the airport island between the two runways on the west.

E. Delannoy, Tung Chung

粵港澳合作提升環珠三角金融地位
24 June 2009
文匯報

《規劃綱要》把重點發展金融業放到了優先發展現代服務業的首位，並指出要加強與港澳金融業的合作。在當前國際國內金融發展的格局和態勢下，這無疑是促進珠三角經濟社會發展新跨越的最具特色和亮點的戰略舉措，對於在全球提高中國金融的地位和作用以及未來建設包括台灣在內的大中華金融圈具有重大的現實意義和深遠的歷史意義。

大珠三角城市群初具規模

改革開放以來，特別是CEPA的實施，粵港澳經濟金融聯繫更加緊密，廣州、東莞、深圳、香港已初步形成都會化走廊，佛山、中山、珠海、澳門也正在形成都會化走廊，港珠澳大橋的建設則拉近了珠江口兩岸城市群的距離，成為中國目前最大、經濟金融一體化程度最高的大珠三角城市群，為三地金融合作與發展奠定了雄厚的經濟金融基礎。

經過多年推進及隨○CEPA的實施，粵港澳三地金融機構互設數量不斷增加，金融市場繼續拓寬，金融業務快速擴大，人才和信息等交流與合作日益增多，貨幣流通支付結算聯網等方面都有了長足發展。粵港澳金融合作規模和國際化程度遠遠高於內地其他區域。

深化粵港澳金融合作的戰略目標，就是建立具有國際影響力和競爭力的大珠三角金融集群區，包括港澳在內，其金融資源的控制規模應超過京津冀和長三角，是全國最大的金融區。珠三角九市的金融增加值增幅應超過GDP的增幅，到2012年和2020年金融業增加值佔GDP比重分別達到9%和12%，金融業佔第三產業增加值比重達到17%和20%。

戰略定位全國最大金融區

大珠三角金融區的戰略定位，就是以香港為龍頭，廣州和深圳為主要支撐，佛山為後援服務基地，其他六市為腹地錯位發展。鞏固和提升香港國際金融中心地位，建設成全球性金融中心，廣州、深圳各自發揮優勢建設成區域金融中心；佛山建設成輻射亞太地區的現代金融產業後援服務基地。深度整合港、深、穗、佛金融資源使其成為該金融區的核心，再向環珠三角、海峽兩岸、泛珠三角、東盟地區輻射，壯大金融實力向全球輻射。

作為金融改革創新綜合試驗區和貨幣跨境流動結算及人民幣區域化、國際化試驗區，以及國際金融風險預警、防範和金融穩定的前沿陣地和輻射亞太地區的現代金融產業後援服務及外包基地，大珠三角金融區將成為中國金融改革創新和國際化提供經驗和示範。

在「一國兩制」下有效實現粵港澳合作是一項創新系統工程，沒有現成的經驗借鑒。廣東省副省長宋海表示，合作各方要堅持科學發展和可持續發展的原則先行先試。凡是三地規章制度允許的、原來已有效合作的項目和領域應積極擴大和深化，在不斷協調基礎上開拓合作新渠道，從協調、協同到融合共進。

一國兩制下三地融合共進

目前，粵港兩地政府達成了在多個金融領域開展具體合作的共識，金融機構的併購重組，產權制度的融合，粵港澳共同組建資本雄厚、有影響力的地方金融控股公司或其他金融機構，港交所與深交所合作改革交易制度，聯通兩地交易，金融專業人員的資格互認及高端人才的培訓、交流等都納入深化合作的議題。正共同積極爭取中央對港澳金融合作擴大開放在廣東先行先試的政策支持。

「一國兩制」是粵港澳金融合作的制度特徵和優勢。一旦法律制度上找到有效的突破口，其井噴式的發展將勢不可擋。一個深具國際影響力的金融中心，將崛起在南中國大珠三角區域，以巨大的新興活力和發展空間，與紐約、倫敦、東京等全球金融中心比肩爭鋒。