Bay Area cross-sea passage to begin trial operation

The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link, a cross-sea passage integrating bridges, islands, tunnels and underwater interchanges in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, will begin trial operations on Sunday, transport authorities said.

After the passage is opened, the journey from Shenzhen, in the eastern of the Pearl River estuary, to Zhongshan, in the western part, will be reduced from two hours to just 30 minutes.

"Various mechanical, electrical, communication and other equipment and facilities of the passage have completed testing, and the road management personnel, engineering maintenance teams and road network information center teams are all in place for the trial operation," Zhang Changliang, deputy director of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link Management Center, said at a news conference in Zhongshan on Thursday.

Guangdong Transportation Group said on June 16 that the passage had passed construction acceptance after seven years of preparatory work and challenging construction.

Located approximately 30 kilometers south of the Humen Bridge and 31 kilometers north of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the link starts at the Shenzhen airport interchange, crosses Lingdingyang Bay to the west and lands at Ma'anshan Island in Zhongshan, Guangdong province.

The toll rates for vehicles passing through the link have been finalized, with a standard fee of 66 yuan ($9) per vehicle for the entire route, Ma Ershun, the deputy director of the passage's management center, said.

Ma said the passage will help to "greatly boost economic and social interactions, especially in the flow of goods from the eastern and western parts of the Pearl River estuary".