Hopewell Holdings Chairman Gordon Wu has said the proposed Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai bridge could be completed by 2008. Tenders for the project are expected to be called by the end of this year and construction would commence in 2005, he said.
The bridge is estimated to cost HK$14.14 billion (US$1.8 billion) to develop and the project will be 30 km long. The expected capacity is 20,000 vehicles per day. The design is currently not finalised and it is not yet determined whether the bridge will take a single or double "y" shape. Mr Wu ruled out the inclusion of a railway on the bridge, saying that incorporating rail lines into the project would raise the cost of the project by at least HK$10 billion (US$1.3 billion).

Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge is a giant bridge to be built linking Hong Kong, in the east, with the gambling mecca Macau and the neighbouring city of Zhuhai, the western Pearl River Delta, part of mainland China's southern industrial powerhouse.

The proposed 29-km(18 mile) bridge is expected to cost US$ 2 billion.

By slashing travel times between Hong Kong - which sits on the eastern bank of the delta's mouth as it opens out to the South China Sea, and the western shore, a large swath of less-developed southern China will be able to plug into the global market place using Hong Kong as its interface.

Hong Kong's main reward would be over the longer-term from tapping into that enhanced flow of people, goods and capital between China and the rest of the world.

With a portion of the structure becoming an undersea tunnel to allow for large container vessels, the concept is similar to that of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel in Virginia, United States.

The 29-km span would make it one of the world's longest bridges and is expected to reduce travel times between Hong Kong and Zhuhai or Macau to around 40 minutes from about 4.5 hours at present.

Although this project gains general welcome, there are still some worries. Some scholars point out that because of the convenient transport between Hong Kong and Macau after the bridge being built, the tourists from Mainland China are likely to spend some part of money in Hong Kong now in Macau. Besides, Hong Kong has to face the cheaper cost of the export in Macau.

2008? That is really fast! :eek: Any diagrams of the bridge?

It's still in the proposing stage .. and hopefully the construction will begins in 2006

Experts to discuss delta bridge report; The draft feasibility study will be scrutinised by specialists from the private sector and HK government

Gary Cheung
4 October 2004
South China Morning Post

A series of hearings on the proposed bridge linking Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macau has been scheduled for this month to canvass experts' views.

The South China Morning Post has learned that consultants from the China Highway Planning and Design Institute, under the Ministry of Communications, will organise two or three sessions with the experts to discuss the draft report of a feasibility study into the project. The experts will come from both the government and private sector. Apart from engineers, experts in fields including the environment and economics will be invited.

The hearings will be held in Beijing and probably in Hong Kong and Guangdong later this month.

The institute was commissioned to conduct the feasibility study into the bridge project.

A spokeswoman for the Environment, Transport and Works Bureau confirmed that the meetings would take place.

She said that in addition to the experts from Hong Kong, Macau, Beijing and Guangdong, officials from Hong Kong government departments were also expected to attend the hearings.

Sources close to the study said the draft report recommends a single Y-shaped bridge, with three possible routes listed for further deliberation by Guangdong and the two special administrative regions.

The first route reaches the coast of the mainland near the Gongbei land crossing, where it would split to provide separate access to Zhuhai and Macau, while the second lands at Hengqin Island, an outlying Zhuhai island west of Macau.

The last option lands at Macau, with a tunnel built underneath the Macau-Taipa bridge to reach the coast of Zhuhai. The institute will revise the draft after canvassing the views of experts. The study, focusing on the alignment and design of the bridge, is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year.

Zheng Tianxiang, a professor at the Centre for Studies of Hong Kong, Macau and the Pearl River Delta at Guangzhou-based Zhongshan University, said he expected the final report would not mention the so-called double-Y option, with an extension to Shenzhen.

In February, top officials in Guangdong and Shenzhen suggested the bridge would generate even greater economic benefits if it provided an extra link to Shenzhen.

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 while Zhuhai officials have said that they would prefer the bridge to extend to Hengqin Island.

A nine-member taskforce comprising representatives from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau was set up in August last year to oversee preparations for the construction of the cross-delta bridge. The taskforce, which commissioned the institute to carry out the feasibility study, held its last meeting in August.

The taskforce has set up 29 working groups on topics including financing, environmental protection, flow of traffic and tidal waves.

Tuesday, March 8, 2005 Posted: 1207 GMT (2007 HKT)

BEIJING, China (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.

Experts from the Mainland, Hong Kong and Macau have recommended San Shek Wan on Lantau, Gong Bei in Zhuhai and Pearl in Macau as the landing points of the proposed Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, Secretary for Environment, Transport & Works Dr Sarah Liao says.

The National Development & Reform Commission invited 10 experts from the Mainland, Hong Kong and Macau to attend the two-day meeting in Zhuhai to explore the feasibility of different bridge proposals at the meeting.

Speaking after the meeting, Dr Liao said experts have come to the conclusion after thorough discussions and detailed site visits.

She noted the recommendation will be submitted to relevant Mainland authorities for approval, adding the bridge project's advance work co-ordination group held its fifth meeting to discuss the way forward.

HONG KONG (AP) - China wants to speed up the planning for a super bridge linking Hong Kong, Macau and the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai, and construction could begin by the end of 2005, a Hong Kong newspaper reported Monday.

The 29-kilometre-long bridge could be completed by 2010, the South China Morning Post quoted Sarah Liao Sau-tung, secretary for the environment, transport and works, as saying.

"The central government wants to speed up the realization of the proposed bridge. Ideally, construction will start at the end of this year or early next year," Liao was quoted as saying.

The project is expected to cost the equivalent of $4.6 billion Cdn.

GUANGZHOU: The exact points where a massive new bridge will meet the land have finally been decided.

The 29-kilometre-long Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge project is expected to begin later this year and give a huge boost to the already strong regional economy.

San Shek Wan on Lantau in Hong Kong, Gongbei in Zhuhai, and Pearl in Macao will be the landing points.

The project will cost about 31.5 billion yuan (US$3.8 billion) and should be completed by 2011.

It will allow people to travel more quickly between Hong Kong and Macao as well as cities along the west bank of the Pearl River including Zhuhai, Zhaoqing, Shunde, Foshan and Jiangmen.

Another reason for the erection of the bridge is to strengthen the already close economic ties between Hong Kong, Macao and Guangdong Province.

So said Chen Shanru, director of the Guangdong Provincial Development and Reform Commission, at a seminar on the bridge construction earlier this month.

Official statistics indicate that the province's import and export trade with Hong Kong was worth US$74.52 billion in 2004, up 25.8 per cent on 2003 and accounting for 66.1 per cent of the total on the Chinese mainland.

Last year the authorities licensed around 1,200 Hong Kong permanent residents to run private commercial businesses in Guangdong. The province reduced or exempted tariffs worth 45.36 million yuan (US$5.5 million) for Hong Kong business people according to the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement, topping any other province or region on the mainland.

Other co-operation in scientific and technological research and development, infrastructure projects and joint investments also gained ground in 2004.

The bridge will further integrate Hong Kong's service industry, the manufacturing industry in the Pearl River Delta region of Guangdong and the gambling industry in Macao.

The bridge will also show how well the Greater Pearl River Delta region is integrating in economic terms, according to Feng Huizhao, deputy director of the Guangdong Economic Co-ordination Office.

The Greater Pearl River Delta region comprises the provinces of Guangdong, Sichuan, Fujian, Hunan, Jiangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Hainan and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, as well as the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao.

Economic co-operation in the Greater Pearl River Delta region was officially launched last year.

Several co-operative projects, primarily those related to infrastructure, are either under way or soon to begin.

Such schemes include intra-regional transportation networks.

For Hong Kong, its well-developed finance, tourism, services and logistics industries will get easier access to markets to the west of the Pearl River, to the southwestern provinces on the mainland, and even to ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries, Feng said.

For Macao, its tourism industry and gambling industry will witness a much greater boom thanks to more convenient traffic.

Hong Kong's service industry will be able to boost other parts of the region by introducing special technology, expertise, and international standards.

Feng said Hong Kong is well-known for its natural deep-sea port and international transportation, while Guizhou and Guangxi are rich in energy resources and power generation potential. Jiangxi has abundant copper reserves; Sichuan has Chinese medicinal herbs and Yunnan's tobacco and flowers are renowned.

would it be closer from hk airport to central, hk or macau??? i think it maybe closer to macau ... distance from central to airport is more than 30km i believe ...
i hope they have rail to macau ... similar to airport express
and than build a new lightrail that connects to it ...
which will be needed when all the developments
are finished in macau ...

There's a plan about building a rail system connect to Taipa, not really sure if its going to build it or not.

The lightrail will run through the city in Macau and Taipa, its still in planning stage and a lot of people against it because the cost is too high.

The proposed Hong Kong-Zhuhai- Macao Bridge will generate substantial economic benefits, Sarah Liao, Hong Kong secretary for the environment, transport and works, said Friday.

Speaking at the Legislative Council (LegCo) panel on transport Friday, Liao said that progress has been made on the bridge project, its funding arrangement is under study and its impact on the environment will be kept to a minimum.

Experts from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao recommended in their April meeting the northern bridge-cum-tunnel alignment with landings at San Shek Wan on Lantau, Gongbei in Zhuhai and A Perola in Macao.

Mak Chai-kong, Hong Kong director of highways, noted at the panel that the northern alignment will be the most cost-effective among the three alignments proposed. It will also have the least disturbance to the ecology, with the bridge structure in the form of a viaduct.

Liao pledged the possible environmental impact of the bridge project will be assessed in detail, and the construction of the bridge will fully comply with environmental protection laws.

On funding arrangements, Liao said the bridge's advanced work co-ordination group intends to involve private-sector participation in funding and operating the bridge.

She also ruled out the possibility of including rail in the project as the move would not be cost-effective and would lead to a surge in construction costs.

A sum of about 9.72 billion HK dollars (1.2 billion US dollars) has been set aside for the connecting roads, and works are scheduled to start in mid-2007.

Liao said the co-ordination group will submit its report to the central government for consideration next month. At the same time, the environment, transport and works bureau of Hong Kong will seek 26.8 million HK dollars from LegCo for the conceptual design and technical studies of the bridge project. Its construction would begin no sooner than early next year, she added.

Sunday Morning Post
17 February 2008

Deal Struck for Bridge over Delta, Says Beijing

Twenty years after it was first proposed, the HK-Macau-Zhuhai bridge is about to become 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 HKD60 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 cam up with the idea for the bridge in the 1980s and has championed the project relentlessly.
....
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 Gonbei in Zhuhai and A Perola in Macau.
....

Though post this new thread as this will have an eventual enormous impact on Macau and closer integration with HK...

This will undoubtably affect property prices... eventually at least, and possibly leading to Macau matching HK prices..

In addition to SMP article, item was a big item on the news in HK on Saturday... other details...

- Construction expected to take 5-7 years.
- One of the longest bridge/linkages in the world
- Part of link will be a tunnel, allowing shipping to pass thru.
- Expect big car parks at landing points of link (HK drivers cannot drive into China without license, so they will have to probably park their cars and switch to other cars/transport).
- Landing point in Macau is in the NE of the peninsula, with HK landing near HK airport (several sites discussed - most likely said to be about 2km north of Tung Chung, Lantau with a reclaimed site.
- Travel time various estimates, from 30 minutes up from HK to Macau (maybe almost half current travel time by fast fery).
- Other info says link is 29km
- Looks like some construction (at least preparatory works) will begin this year (tenders for project should be announced soon).
- One of Donald Tsang's, HK's CE, priority infrastructure projects

In addition to SMP article, item was a big item on the news in HK on Saturday... other details...

- Construction expected to take 5-7 years.
- One of the longest bridge/linkages in the world
- Part of link will be a tunnel, allowing shipping to pass thru.
- Expect big car parks at landing points of link (HK drivers cannot drive into China without license, so they will have to probably park their cars and switch to other cars/transport).
- Landing point in Macau is in the NE of the peninsula, with HK landing near HK airport (several sites discussed - most likely said to be about 2km north of Tung Chung, Lantau with a reclaimed site.
- Travel time various estimates, from 30 minutes up from HK to Macau (maybe almost half current travel time by fast fery).
- Other info says link is 29km
- Looks like some construction (at least preparatory works) will begin this year (tenders for project should be announced soon).
- One of Donald Tsang's, HK's CE, priority infrastructure projects


Those are 30 minutes from entry to exit point, ie, Macau to HK Airport or neighbouring areas, not to Central or Wanchai... so it cuts the travel distance in half only if you are going to the New Territories or the HK Airport...

If you are going from Macau to Central it will surely take over two hours driving not counting the border controls.

You cannot drive in Macau with an HK driver's license and the opposite is also true.... and how about them borders?

Those are 30 minutes from entry to exit point, ie, Macau to HK Airport or neighbouring areas, not to Central or Wanchai... so it cuts the travel distance in half only if you are going to the New Territories or the HK Airport...

If you are going from Macau to Central it will surely take over two hours driving not counting the border controls.

You cannot drive in Macau with an HK driver's license and the opposite is also true.... and how about them borders?

I think it will take 30 mins from Kowloon, 45 from HK island. I doubt it will be anywhere near 2 hours, as highway cant be slower than a boat. The boat trip now is 40km between HK and Macau. At a slow 80kmh, then this is a half hour trip from HK. However, point taken about border controls, so total time can be 1+ hour.
Yes, there are lots of issues about the bridge, yet to be sorted (price, who has access). If HK/Macau/Guangdong is to be integrated, I believe barriers will come down one day. Currently this isn't the case as Guangdong govt gets huge fees for car license plate.
Given the ease of travel in Europe, I hope one day they can be sorted this out - I can't see why one day (soonish) we can't drive to China and Macau given we are 'one country'.

I think it will take 30 mins from Kowloon, 45 from HK island. I doubt it will be anywhere near 2 hours, as highway cant be slower than a boat. The boat trip now is 40km between HK and Macau. At a slow 80kmh, then this is a half hour trip from HK. However, point taken about border controls, so total time can be 1+ hour.
Yes, there are lots of issues about the bridge, yet to be sorted (price, who has access). If HK/Macau/Guangdong is to be integrated, I believe barriers will come down one day. Currently this isn't the case as Guangdong govt gets huge fees for car license plate.
Given the ease of travel in Europe, I hope one day they can be sorted this out - I can't see why one day (soonish) we can't drive to China and Macau given we are 'one country'.

Crossing the bridge alone is will be something like 15-20 minutes. Speed limit will be 100 km/h and for 29km. Do the math, 17.4 min. Adds another 20-30 minutes to Kowloon/Central, the whole journey isn't that much shorter than the high speed jet boats. In term of tourists and passengers flow, it doesn't seem much of a benefit. But if you look at the freight sectors, the bridge will cut the travel time by hours going back and fro between two sides of the water. It adds the logistic value to the whole crossing.

Indeed the two SARs and the mainland are 'one country' now, but we are still 'two systems.' I am not talking about politically, but infrastructurallly. HK and Macao drive on left side of the road, the mainland drives on right side of the road. I don't think we are quite there the two different types of drivers can melt together yet.

Pearl River bridge to link Hong Kong, Macau and Zhuhai
Posted : Tue, 05 Aug 2008 10:04:53 GMT
Author : DPA
Category : Asia (World)
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Hong Kong - Plans for a 40-kilometre bridge spanning the Pearl River estuary separating Hong Kong, Macau and Zhuhai in southern China are closer to realization after officials agreed Tuesday to finance the link with government money. The decision to use public cash makes a start of construction work possible by 2010 at the latest, Donald Tsang, the chief executive of Hong Kong's government, said.

A total of 15.7 billion yuan (2.3 billion dollars) will be injected into the project of which Hong Kong is to pay 6.75 billion yuan.

Other contributions are to be made by the governments in Macau, Guangdong province and China's central government in Beijing.

The bridge was to be developed under a joint public-private partnership involving commercial finance from the private sector. Under the new plan, construction firms will build the link rather than having to fund the scheme as well.

The revised financing arrangements were finalized during a meeting between officials from Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong in Guangzhou Tuesday.

Guangdong provincial communist party chief Wang Yang said the bridge would help Guangdong to reach out to the world market.

"The Pearl River delta will be the most competitive region in the world in 30 years," he added.

Bridge report to be submitted to Central Gov't


The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge engineering feasibility report will be submitted to the Central Government in December for scrutiny, and the three jurisdictions will launch the tender for the main bridge's initial design on December 1.



This was the message from Secretary for Transport & Housing Eva Cheng after the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Advance Work Co-ordination Group's 9th meeting in Guangzhou today.



Ms Cheng said under the feasibility report nearly 40 studies on specific areas including construction, impact on navigation channels, flooding prevention, wind testing and environmental impact have been completed after more than four years.



"The submission of the report by Guangdong implies the bridge project has entered the design and construction stage," she said.



Financing arrangements

Ms Cheng expects the initial design to be activated in April, noting the three governments will work closely to start the works as early as possible.



The co-ordination group has also reached a consensus on the organisation framework and mode in carrying forward the project in future. There will be a joint working committee under which a bridge authority will oversee the project implementation, including capital raising, tendering, design, construction, operation and management.



On the financing arrangements Ms Cheng said it has been agreed that besides capital from the three governments for the main bridge body, bank loans will be sought to fund the remaining construction costs.



The bridge office will hire a financial consultant to help the three governments proceed with the financing arrangements, she added.

construction start untill completion in 2016 catalyst for real estate market in Zhuhai?????? less so for Macau
Vanke Paradiso selling at 10000-20000 RMB psm vs one central 4000-6000 psf
still 1/3 of the price

Luxury in the peaks in HK is 3-4 times the prices to luxuries in New territory, or indeed maybe 8 times the price of SZ.

Can someone please explain what will be the bridge benefit for common folk? If one cannot drive in China with Macau cars and licenses and vice-versa, assuming this is also true for HK... then what benefit will this bring?

Will there be a railway to replace the ferry? Buses from one end to the other? Will people drive through the bridge, the park their cars on massive parking lots?

How about immigration? Will people have to clear immigration from Macau to Zhuhai and then again to HK? And vice-versa on return?

How does this affect the housing market? HK already is just one hour away by ferry, even if you cross the bridge in 30 minutes, that is just 30 minutes less...

Cheers all

Infrastructure projects don't really benefit common people in a big way (short of those who build it, and increased convenience for users on completion).
However, in longer run, it provides efficencies to whole economy, reducing bottlenecks/inflation.
It effectively will expand the footprint of the 'HK-Macau-SZ-Zhuhai' region, with HK at heart. Anything in 3 hours drive of HK will get a boast as investors will flock to region (being reasonable drive). Making it faster to drive effectively increases this area.
Once completed, biggest winners will be western GD, in particular, for land owners who can build factories etc. Locals may get boost in that they can travel more quickly (for jobs, leisure etc), maybe more cheaply.
For Macau, it brings it closer to the heart of this economy (still HK, with population, wealth, etc).
So benefits of a closer integration to heart ? Many benefits, but say for tourism as example, you will have more things to visit. Tourist can stay in Macau (or HK) hotels, visit both sites from 1 location. Locals can get jobs in either place and live in either. Use facilities in both (HK airport being so close means maybe some companies can set HQ in Macau etc).
Macau via ferry is effectively 2+ hours travel, door to door. Plus inconvenient. Bridge can make it 1 hour (effectively a 'suburb' of HK), but only if they let people drive from A to B direct. Second problem is that charges will be quite hi, making it less economic to become a 'suburb' to travel. So will benefit, but maybe only slightly so for now.

Cannot compare Macau/Zhuhai, esp for luxury. Luxury means in heart, prime location, close to action (banks, shopping, airports etc), and RESTRICTED in supply.
For mentioned development in ZH (personally don't know anything about it), you can argue what about something 30 mins away ? Within 30 minutes, there's a lot of land/other developments.
Second, at RMB20000 psm, not cheap at all. For that you can get something in Nova City, and anything in SZ.
Zhuhai property will get boost for sure. But nearer RMB10k (nb Shenzhen not much more expensive). But the further away you are, the availability of property increases even more.

HK already is just one hour away by ferry, even if you cross the bridge in 30 minutes, that is just 30 minutes less...


One hour is just the ferry time; but if you want to travel from Hong Kong to Macau, the reality is it will be 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours. First, you need to take a taxi from where you are (home or office) to the ferry terminal (around 15 minutes), then you have to walk up and queue for tickets (another 10-15 minutes), and the next available ferry is probably 15 to 30 minutes from the purchase of the ticket. So that will add up 40 to 60 minutes, which you will be able to avoid if you can drive straight from your location to Macau when the bridge is ready.

Of course, another benefit is that the logistic cost will go down tremendously. Why has Shenzhen boom in the last 20 years? One of the reasons is due to the cheap logistic cost resulted from the buildup of tolls from Hong Kong to Shenzhen.

Bidding for Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao bridge project to start on MondayBy Liang Qiwen (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-11-28 07:54 Comments(1) PrintMailGUANGZHOU: Bidding for the design of the mega-project Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge will begin on Monday, a senior Hong Kong government official said on Thursday.

Eva Cheng Yu Wah, secretary for transport and housing, said the coordination office for the project will start accepting bids on Monday, and the result will be announced in April.



"The government of Guangdong province will hand in a feasibility report on the project to the central government next month," Cheng said at the coordination office's ninth conference in Guangzhou on Thursday.

The three parties, including the Guangdong development and reform commission, the transport and housing bureau of Hong Kong, and the infrastructure development office of Macao, discussed the feasibility of the bridge during the conference, Cheng said.

Over the past four years, the office has done 40 feasibility studies.

According to the financing agreement reached by the three parties in August, construction of the major body of the bridge, which stretches 29 km, will cost about 37.4 billion yuan ($5.5 billion), 42 percent of which will come from the central government and the governments of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao.

The rest, more than 21 billion yuan, will come from bank loans.

Cheng said yesterday that banks from the three places are still very interested in providing loans for the bridge.

"Their interest has not been affected by the global financial turmoil," Cheng said.

So far, the office has collected 34 letters of intent from banks, she said.

In an interview with the media from Hong Kong and Macao on Nov 11, Zhang Xiaoqiang, vice-minister of the National Development and Reform Commission, said that if work from all parties goes smoothly and if conditions are right, they will strive to start construction of the bridge by the end of next year, earlier than the previous schedule, 2010.

Cheng did not confirm the date or raise a new schedule, but said they would try to do some work ahead of the official start of the project.

"We will do some preparations as early as possible, such as exploring the seabed," she said.

It is believed that the completion of the bridge will further improve the traffic link in the PRD region.

the key word is integration
the bridge means
increased investments into forgotten Zhuhai
new industries - high tech
expansion yachting industry, logistics
new jobs
increased salaries
increased population
ZH getaway destination for HK and Guangzhouren
Henqin island developement
etc.....

BTW average prices for luxury today in Shenzhen is 30000 RMB/sqm
GZ - average 20000 RMB/sqm
ZH has limited supply fo REAL luxury.

Also, except the one central, luxury products in Zhuhai are of a higher standaard than in Macau eg Huafa jade Peak, Huafa New Century, Vanke Paradiso

http://www.thb.gov.hk/eng/policy/transport/issues/img/cbt_3_200810291.jpg

and

http://www.thb.gov.hk/eng/policy/transport/issues/img/HZMB-P3.jpg

why is the reclaimed land for Zhuhai is so south that it situates right east of Macau??

this will obviously restrict and limit the expansion and development of Macau

how come

I guess no full sea view for the Villa de Mer and Resididencia, more looking at a border crossing island

From what I remember, the original plans called for the construction of small island with a multi-tiered parking area where people would park and then take the light-rail train into Macau - this would limit congestion as Macau's streets could not support the increased traffic. There would also be cargo transit area.

Is this what is shown?

BEIJING, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- A bridge linking Hong Kong, Macao and the Pearl River Delta is expected to start in 2009 and the central government will offer 5 billion yuan (730 million U.S. dollars) on its main body.

The plan was made public by Du Ying, vice minister of the National Development and Reform Commission at a news conference on Thursday.

The main body of the bridge stretches 29 km, the longest in the world. It will connect the country's three southern booming places of Hong Kong, Macao and Zhuhai.

BEIJING, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- A bridge linking Hong Kong, Macao and the Pearl River Delta is expected to start in 2009 and the central government will offer 5 billion yuan (730 million U.S. dollars) on its main body.


Do you know when will the bridge be completed?

Consortium to design mega bridge chosen

Bonnie Chen

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

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.

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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

Pinsent consortium wins tender to bridge the Pearl River Delta
By Yun Zhang | Friday, 27 February 2009

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After two months of the tender process, the Pinsent Masons consortium of law firms has out beaten all other competitors to win the appointment to provide legal services for the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge project.

The other members of the Pinsent Consortium are: JunHe Law Offices (Beijing, China), TeamWin Law Firm (Guangdong, China), and DSL Lawyers (Macau).

Large infrastructure projects inevitably attract great attention from law firms. When this bridge project launched a public tender for legal counsel in October last year, the response was overwhelming - eight consortia consisting of 23 law firms bidded for the project.

The bridge will stretch across 36 kilometres, combining tunnels and bridges and a number of facilities on artificial islands, with an estimated overall cost of about US$5.6bn. It is extremely complex from a legal perspective as it will join three legal jurisdictions governed by three different legal systems in the PRC, Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR.

At the initial stage, the Pinsent Consortium's main role is to prepare the inter-governmental agreement between the three governments. The firms will also design the legal framework for the organisation that will form the employer party.

The main team members of the Pinsent Masons team working for this project will be Dean Lewis, Lynia Lau and John Bishop. The Jun He team will be led by partner Audrey Chen.

Macau, China, 11 March – A consortium of three Chinese and two foreign companies has been chosen to design and build the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge, in an investment of US$10.25 billion, according to a report in British magazine, Building.

CCCC Highway Consultants, a subsidiary of China Communications Construction, CCCC First Harbor Engineering, the Shanghai Tunnel Engineering and Rail Transit Design and Research Institute, British company Ove Arup and Partners Hong Kong and Danish company Cowi are the companies that were awarded the tender to deign and build the 30-kilometre bridge, according to a report from news agency MacauNews.

The bridge's design project will be carried out by Ove Arup Partners Hong Kong and the other four companies will be involved in the construction itself.

Construction of the bridge is due to begin in December and funding for the project, which involves a number of bridges, tunnels and artificial islands, will be provided by the three governments involved and by bank loans.

The overall cost of US$10.25 billion, will mainly be covered by a syndicated loan of US$8.33 billion involving the Bank of China, the China Construction Bank, The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and the China Development Bank. (macauhub)

Wen: HK-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge to start construction this year(chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-03-13 16:50 Comments(0) PrintMailThe Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge project has raised enough money and will start construction within the year, said Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao at a press conference after the closing of the Second Session of the 11th National People's Congress on March 13.

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"I want to make it clear that the financing problem of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao bridge project has already been resolved," said Wen, adding that preparations are now being intensively made.

“Hong Kong is one of the cores of international finance. To confront the economic crisis, the key point is maintaining Hong Kong's financial stability and its core position. Consequently, accelerating the mainland's infrastructure projects concerning Hong Kong is needed,” Wen added.

An overall investment for the 120-year design life expectancy bridge is estimated at 72.6 billion yuan (US$10.6 billion).

The bridge will shorten the four-hour drive from Hong Kong to Zhuhai, Guangdong province to half an hour. It will serve as an important channel linking Hong Kong, Macao, Zhuhai and the western part of the Pearl River Delta, one of the most economically-developed areas in the Chinese mainland

BEIJING, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Friday promised that the central government would employ several measures to help Hong Kong and Macao tackle the ongoing financial crisis.

A plan for the settlement of trade in the yuan has been formulated and the central government will see to it that the plan will be carried out as quickly as possible once it is approved by the State Council, or Cabinet, Wen said.

"A supplement agreement to the CEPA between the mainland and Hong Kong will be signed, which will further increase the access to the mainland market for the services sector in Hong Kong," he told the press following the closing of the annual session of the National People's Congress, China's top legislative body.

CEPA, or Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement, was signed in 2003 between the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Central Government on opening the mainland market to Hong Kong products and services.

Furthermore, Wen noted that the central government would also accelerate the infrastructure constructions connecting the mainland and the two special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao.

The financing problem legging the Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macao bridge project has already been resolved, he said, adding, "preparations are now being made very intensively and construction will start before the end of this year."

The bridge, with an estimated investment of 72.6 billion yuan (10.6 billion U.S. dollars), will serve as an important channel linking the three areas.

Wen said the central government has already approved the long-term plan for the reform and development in the Pearl River Delta region, which will benefit two special administrative regions and some of the most economically-developed cities in the mainland.

In order to encourage the appropriate diversification development of Macao, the central government has also prepared to introduce new steps, Wen said without elaboration.

The central government have the confidence in tackling the international financial crisis, Wen said, believing that Hong Kong and Macao are able to overcome difficulties and maintain prosperity and stability.

"The motherland is always the strongest supporter to Hong Kong and Macao, and we will do our best to help the economic development of the two special administrative regions," said Wen

Survey and design work for the main part of a bridge to link Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macao began Friday in Zhuhai, a coastal city in south China's Guangdong Province.

The coordinating group for preparatory work on the bridge also signed a contract with CCCC Highway Consultants Co. Ltd., leader of a five-member consortium, at an event Friday to mark the start of work.

The other four consortium members are COWI A/S of Denmark, Ove Arup and Partners Hong Kong Ltd., CCCC First Harbor Consultants Co. Ltd. and the Shanghai Tunnel Engineering and Rail Transit Design and Research Institute.

The consortium won an international bid for the survey and design part of the project in December at a proposed cost of 209.9 million yuan (about 30.87 million U.S. dollars). The bid was approved by the State Council (cabinet), said Zhu Yongling, chief of the office of the coordinating group. He said construction was expected to begin late this year.

Premier Wen Jiabao gave a similar timeframe at a press conference Friday in Beijing after the end of the annual session of the National People's Congress, the top legislative body.

The bridge project will include two ports in Hong Kong and Macao and two branch lines in Hong Kong and Zhuhai.

The entire project is estimated to cost 72.6 billion yuan. It will link Hong Kong, Macao and Zhuhai, which are separated by the Pearl River Estuary, and the west part of the Pearl River Delta, one of the most economically developed areas of the Chinese mainland.

Currently, only ferries connect Zhuhai and Macao with Hong Kong.

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.

Not too bad for Macau.
Interesting bet from Zhuhai Govt focusing in developing Nanping. There is almost nothing there.

Bank of China picked to lead lending on mega-bridge
Fri Mar 20, 2009 1:34am EDT Email | Print | Share| Reprints | Single Page[-] Text [+]
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More Business & Investing News... BEIJING, March 20 (Reuters) - Bank of China (3988.HK) (601988.SS) 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) (Reporting by Simon Rabinovitch and Jason Subler; Editing by Jonathan Hopfner)

HK-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge project opens to Int´l bidding
WATCH VIDEO
Source: CCTV.com | 03-30-2009 12:31
Click for more news in News Hour>>

There has been new development in preparations for the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao bridge project. The consultation for the design of the bridge's main body and construction is now open to international bidding.
There has been new development in preparations for the Hong
Kong-Zhuhai-Macao bridge project. The consultation for the
design of the bridge's main body and construction is now
open to international bidding.


The consultation fee will be shared by the governments of Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macao. The evaluation of the project's impact on Hong Kong's environment is almost complete. The report will be handed to the Environmental Protection Department of the Hong Kong SAR in the middle of the year.

The planned bridge runs through the Environmental Protection Area for Chinese white dolphins. Its impact on the dolphins was a top concern.

100-buck bridge

Bonnie Chen

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.

HKD100 is ridiculously cheap....

Cant complain, tho I'm a taxpayer, I should benefit from both sides (property price rise, cheaper for me to visit) :)

Cheapest ferry is around $130 each way PER PERSON (excluding Cotai Jet promo offering free return ride).
Reckon ferry too expensive really. Reckon should be $200 (so you need 2 people to make it worthwhile..). However, guess you still need to pay for parking once you get to Macau.

Hmm..........

Very interesting (and should probably offer some pricing competition with boat operators like TurboJet, Cotaijet and New World First Ferry)

Not to mention that it opens more transportation options (currently you can only travel DIRECTLY between Hong Kong and Macau by boat or by air).

This is interesting :)

Let's how are thye going to manage the traffic...