The Bridge to Macau

The world’s longest fixed sea crossing stretches from Hong Kong to Macau and Zhuhai

The Bridge to Macau

At 55 kilometres, the Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macau Bridge, or HZMB for short, is the longest fixed sea crossing in the world. It comprises 12 kilometres of link road on the Hong Kong side, 29.6 kilometres for the main bridge and 13.4 kilometres for the Zhuhai link road.

Within that, there are three cable-stayed bridge sections, four artificial islands, and two tunnels. One of the tunnels is a 6.2 kilometre stretch, between two of the islands, to allow for the passage of ships above. The other two islands house border crossing facilities at either end.

Barreling across the bridge there is a convoy of gold-coloured shuttle buses. These buses operate around the clock. According to the timetable they run at five-minute intervals during peak times, 10-15 minutes off-peak, and 15-30 minutes late at night. In reality, they depart as soon as each bus fills up, with double-deck vehicles at peak times. Thanks to the constant flow of passengers you only have to wait as long as it takes for them to all pile on board.

The bus winds its way out of the terminal and plunges immediately into Scenic Hill Tunnel. Scenic Hill is the last remnant of Chek Lap Kok, the island that was flattened to make way for the Airport to which it gave its name. But because Chek Lap Kok can be a bit of a tongue twister for non-natives it is most often just called Hong Kong International Airport.

Entrance to the departures area at HZMB port in Hong Kong (left), and a gold coloured shuttle bus.

The tunnel curls around the southeast corner of the complex and, on exit, passes between the airport and Lantau island. On the right the cargo terminal, the Business Aviation Centre with a cluster of private jets, and then along the length of its three runways.

On the left is the bucolic grandeur of Lantau Island. Rugged mountains, carved by volcanic eruptions some 146 million years ago, and valleys cradling remote villages. San Tau, Sha Lo Wan, Sham Wat and finally the little fishing village of Tai O. Just beyond Tai O the bus descends into the second tunnel, 33 concrete tubes in a bed of clay 44.5 metres (146 ft) below the waves.

White Dolphins

When it emerges there is not much left to see on either side apart from the cables of the cable-stayed sections, the first of which alerts you to the fact that you are about halfway across (main picture). Highly endangered Chinese white dolphins gambol in these waters, although it is unlikely you’ll see one. The two islands that mark the entrance and exit of the undersea tunnel are named White Dolphin Island at the western end, and Blue Dolphin Island at the eastern.

Heading towards the undersea tunnel section

Construction of the link got underway in mid-December 2009 at the Chinese end and two years later at the Hong Kong end. A delay caused by a legal challenge over the environmental impact. The structure contains 386,469 cubic metres of concrete and 420,000 tonnes of steel and took nine years to complete. The bridge opened on October 24th, 2018.

The journey from Hong Kong to the former Portuguese enclave takes around 30 minutes. Once past immigration, there is a convenience store where you can get SIM cards and a Macau Pass smart card. The latter I use mostly for bus fares but it is also accepted in convenience stores. Regardless of the journey, all buses cost six patakas (MOP) without the card but only three with it.

The bus to Zhuhai takes a few minutes longer but that is a journey for another day. Right now a Portuguese egg tart and a saunter through 400 years of history are calling to me.

Arriving the Macau and Zhuhai end

• Buses to the HZMB port operate from all over Hong Kong. The numbers are mostly prefixed with the letter A as they also serve the airport. The B4 links to the airport terminal and the B6 with Tung Chung MTR.
• In Macau, most major hotels and casinos have their own shuttle buses which are free for anyone to use. The 101X local bus passes through the northern and western parts of Macau, past Senado Square and terminates at Ferreira do Amaral Plaza. The 102X heads to Taipa and the Cotai Strip.

Hotel Suggestions
Artyzen Grand Lapa Macau
Caravel Hotel, Macau