Shortcut!
Cars and buses began traversing the world’s longest sea crossing this morning, making the 30-45 minute journey across the 55km bridge and tunnel link connecting Hong Kong, Macau and the mainland.
Officially inaugurated yesterday by China’s President Xi Jinping, the record-breaking megastructure has been celebrated as an engineering marvel and criticized as a politically-driven white elephant delivered over budget and two years behind schedule.
Vehicles took the bridge this morning after an excited mob rushed through the customs gates in Hong Kong to be the first to make the trip from this end.
https://twitter.com/tictoc/status/1054906140809719808
Here’s the riveting footage of the FIRST bus driving through the toll gates in the southern city of Zhuhai.
https://twitter.com/XHNews/status/1054931438833823744
For those of you who want to see the bridge, but have no particular desire to actually go to Zhuhai or Macau, don’t worry
A plethora of sweeping footage from news organizations showing the megastructure is circulating online.
https://twitter.com/XHNews/status/1054898570241880064
https://twitter.com/MarioAlvisi/status/1054931952845828098
Or if you want the full tour…
Meanwhile, on the information superhighway, netizens also started their engines.
There was poetry.
https://twitter.com/whitebison66/status/1054585125680242688
There were memes poking fun at yesterday’s opening ceremony by pointing out, once again, Xi’s likeness to a loveable cartoon bear.
This time, though, the comparison was expanded to give Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam a role as piglet. Fernando Chiu, leader of Macau, got to be Eeyore.
https://www.facebook.com/leungpakkin.lyricist/posts/2229490207309780
According to RTHK, Lam addressed speculation that her walking side-by-side with the Chinese president was a big show of support, playing down its significance.
Some noted Xi’s super concise, ah, speech.
https://twitter.com/tara_mulholland/status/1054557511972356096
Or is impartiality to fireworks.
https://twitter.com/ChrisDerps/status/1054555512241418241
On a more serious note, the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims called attention to the fate of several workers who died during the bridge’s construction, publicizing their names in a Facebook post.
https://www.facebook.com/ariav1981/posts/887861741418872
According to reports, the bridge is built to last 120 years.
It’s made from some 420,000 tonnes of steel — enough for 60 Eiffel Towers — and 1.08 million cubic metres of concrete, equivalent to just under 23 times the amount used in the Empire State building.
Not anyone, however, can drive on it.
Only the wealthy or politically connected will be able to take their private cars across.
For Hong Kong-mainland dual-plate private cars 10,000 licences will be granted, while the quota for Macau is much lower at just 300.
Those eligible to apply have to meet various strict criteria such as being members of certain Chinese government organs, have paid recent taxes on the mainland or donated five million yuan (US$720,000) to charities in southern China.
Those without a licence will have to take public transport to the bridge and then change to cross on private shuttle buses, something critics say might add to the journey times.
And although drivers might feel like they’re out in the middle of the ocean, they’re being closely watched.
Hong Kong media reported that special cameras will monitor bus drivers and alert authorities if they yawn too many times as they drive across. Their blood pressure will also be monitored.
Drivers will also need to switch the side of the road they drive on. The bridge is considered Chinese territory, where people drive on the right hand side of the road.
Just before they get to Hong Kong, while still on the bridge, they will have to switch to the left at specially built merger channels.
With AFP
