(CNN) —
Chinese President Xi Jinping officially opened the world’s longest sea-crossing bridge Tuesday at a ceremony in the southern city of Zhuhai.
The $20 billion megaproject further connects mainland China with the semi-autonomous territories of Hong Kong and Macau, with a 55-kilometer (34-mile) road bridge that has been in the works for almost nine years.
It’s a key element of China’s plan for a Greater Bay Area covering 56,500 square kilometers (21,800 square miles) of southern China, and encompassing 11 cities, including Hong Kong and Macau, that are home to a combined 68 million people.
“I declare the Hong Kong – Macau – Zhuhai bridge officially open,” Xi said in a seconds-long speech before a giant display showing the bridge.
The announcement was greeted with applause from the hundreds of guests in attendance, including the leaders of Hong Kong and Macau, Carrie Lam and Fernando Chui, and Guangdong Party Secretary Li Xi.
The bridge will open to the public for the first time on Wednesday.
Proponents of the bridge say it will significantly cut journey times between the cities, enabling commuters and tourists to easily move around the region.
“With the bridge, the traveling time between Hong Kong and the Western Pearl River Delta region will be shortened significantly, thereby bringing the Western Pearl River Delta region within three hours’ drive from Hong Kong,” the city’s transport secretary, Frank Chan, said Friday.
Despite the focus on drive time however, private car owners in Hong Kong will not be able to cross the bridge without a special permit. Most drivers will have to park at the Hong Kong port, switching to a shuttle bus or special hire cars once they are through immigration. Shuttle buses cost $8 to $10 for a single trip depending on the time of day.
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Andy Wong/AP
Chinese President Xi Jinping applauds on stage after official opening of the China-Zhuhai-Macau-Hong Kong Bridge, October 23, 2018.
Critics however point to limited demand in Hong Kong for the project, and competition from improved rail links and the Shenzhen-Zhongshan bridge, which once completed around 2024 is expected to cut traffic on the Zhuhai link by over 25% within 20 years.
For critics of the Chinese government, the bridge is seen as a tool to drag Hong Kong – which boasts a semi-democratic legislature and independent judiciary – closer into Beijing’s grip.
“You can’t see the existing transport connections – in a literal way. But this bridge is very visible … you can see it from the plane when you fly in to Hong Kong, and it’s breathtaking,” lawmaker Claudia Mo told CNN earlier in the year.
“It links Hong Kong to China almost like an umbilical cord. You see it, and you know you’re linked up to the motherland.”
Photos: Bridges that break the mold
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Courtesy JCDA
A team led by Xu Weiguo at Tsinghua University's School of Architecture completed the world's longest 3D-printed concrete bridge in Shanghai.
Photos: Bridges that break the mold
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Courtesy JCDA
The bridge took 450 hours to produce and was unveiled in January 2019. Scroll through the gallery for some of the world's most spectacular bridges.
Photos: Bridges that break the mold
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Courtesy NEXT architects
Lucky Knot Bridge by NEXT Architects, in progress (Changsha, China) —
The name and shape of NEXT Architects' Lucky Knot Bridge refers to the Chinese art of decorative knotting, which is associated with good luck.
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Zaha Hadid Architects
Danjiang Bridge by Zaha Hadid Architects, in progress (Taipei, Taiwan) —
At just over 3,000 ft, the Danjiang Bridge -- one of the last commissions awarded to the late Zaha Hadid -- will be the world's longest single-tower, asymmetric cable-stayed bridge, according to the firm.
The subtle design is meant to have visual impact without obscuring the Taipei sunset.
Photos: The most spectacular bridges in the world
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Courtesy ljusarkitektur
Sölvesborg Bridge by Ljusarkitektur, Sölvesborg, Sweden —
In a rare twist, the Sölvesborg Bridge -- Europe's longest pedestrian bridge at 2480 feet -- was specially enhanced by a lighting design firm rather than an architect. Ljusarkitektur mounted the structure with color-change LED lights.
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Courtesy Urban Redevelopment Authority
Helix Bridge by Cox Architecture, 2010 (Marina Bay, Singapore) —
When it opened in 2010, Singapore's Helix Bridge was the first to incorporate the shape of a double-helix. The structure is meant to symbolize life, renewal and growth, and sits near Moshe Safdie's $5.7 billion Marina Bay Sands casino.
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Courtesy COBE, DISSING+WEITLING and COWI
Køge North Station by COBE, in progress (Køge, Denmark) —
There's more than meets the eye with this structure. The bridge, designed collaboratively by COBE Architects Dissing + Weitling and COWI, includes passageways for both trains and cars, as well as a full station and park-and-ride facilities. It's set to open in 2018.
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Courtesy Rafael Viñoly Architects
Puente Laguna Garzon by Rafael Viñoly Architects, 2015 (Garzón, Uruguay) —
Uruguayan architect Rafael Viñoly's circular bridge can only be truly appreciated from above. The circular bridge, which replaced a raft crossing, creates the effect of a lagoon within a lagoon.
Photos: Bridges that break the mold
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Courtesy BCQ arquitectura barcelona
Sarajevo Bridge by BCQ Arquitectura Barcelona, in progress (Barcelona, Spain) —
BCQ Arquitectura Barcelona's plant-covered bridge takes Heatherwick's green concept one step further. Their proposed upgrades to the existing Sarajevo Bridge include photoluminescent stones to light the pathway without electricity and concrete that converts pollution into harmless substances.
As of now, there is no set completion date.
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Courtesy Studio Olafur Eliasson
Cirkelbroen by Olafur Eliasson, 2015 (Copenhagen, Denmark) —
Artist Olafur Eliasson was inspired by the city's history as a port town when he designed Cirkelbroen. The five round platforms and wired masts give the illusion of boats floating on the harbor.
Photos: Bridges that break the mold
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ChinaFotoPress/ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images
Zhangjiajie Canyon Bridge by Haim Dotan, in progress (Zhangjiajie City, China) —
Haim Dotan's Zhangjiajie Canyon Bridge is the largest glass-bottomed bridge in the world. Aside from supporting visitors, the bridge, which is 69 feet long and 718 feet high, will be also be used for bungee jumps and fashion shows.
Built to withstand a magnitude 8 earthquake, a super typhoon and strikes by super-sized cargo vessels, the bridge incorporates 400,000 tons of steel – 4.5 times the amount in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge.
It also includes a 6.7-kilometer (4-mile) submerged tunnel to help it avoid the busy shipping paths over the Pearl River Delta. The tunnel runs between two artificial islands, each measuring 100,000 square meters (1 million square feet) and situated in relatively shallow waters.
While an impressive engineering feat, the building of the bridge brought its own controversies. The Pearl River Delta is home to an endangered Chinese white dolphin population that has been buffeted by massive land reclamation efforts in Hong Kong and other cities.
Conservation experts previously told CNN they feared the bridge, as well as ongoing expansion of Hong Kong airport, could be the final nail in the dolphins’ coffin, sending the local population into terminal decline.
CNN’s Sarah Lazarus contributed reporting.
