Bridge traffic booms in Greater Bay Area

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, a major channel for cross-border travel between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong and Macao, has seen rapid traffic growth since its opening eight years ago, border inspection authorities in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, reported.

As of Thursday, more than 125 million travelers and 26.45 million vehicles had crossed the bridge since it opened.

The cross-sea bridge has become one of the most popular routes over the border, they said.

This year alone, the bridge has handled 25.4 million travelers, 2.5 times the volume of the same period in 2019, highlighting the increasing popularity of the one-hour living circle in the region.

The bridge is the only designated passage for vehicles from Hong Kong and Macao going northward and for vehicles from Guangdong going to the two special administrative regions.

Vehicle traffic through the Zhuhai highway port has been growing rapidly, with more than 5.67 million vehicles crossing this year, an increase of more than 4 percent from the previous year.

As of Thursday, more than 246,000 drivers and 210,000 vehicles have been registered to go north over the bridge since policies allowing vehicles from Hong Kong and Macao were implemented in 2023.

"Favorable policies such as tax refunds and consumption subsidies have heightened the enthusiasm of Hong Kong and Macao residents for driving north," said Chen Faqiu, director of the Zhuhai station.

It is expected that the total number of single-license plate vehicles inspected will exceed 4 million.

"The convenient conditions for driving north have attracted more Hong Kong and Macao residents to the mainland for shopping, investment and even settling down," Chen said.