Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge has carried 10 million vehicles since opening, Xinhua says after US outlet’s ‘ghost bridge’ report
- Xinhua reports vehicle flow reached 3.26 million on mega bridge last year, after government-funded Voice of America referred to it as ‘ghost’ crossing in recent article
- Sharp increase in traffic last year, up from 1.6 million the year before, attributed to border reopening and new quota-free scheme from Hong Kong motorists
More than 10 million vehicles have used a mega bridge linking Hong Kong with Zhuhai and Macau since it opened more than five years ago, Chinese state media has said, just days after a US broadcaster referred to it as an underused “ghost” crossing.
The sharp increase from the 860,000 and 1.6 million vehicles in 2019 and 2022, respectively, was attributed to the reopening of the border after the pandemic and the launch of a quota-free scheme for Hong Kong motorists heading north on the world’s longest sea crossing.
“The [bridge] not only brings new ways for cross-border travel, but also provides more diversified transportation options for ‘two-cities’ living. Driving north is becoming a common way of life for Hong Kong and Macau residents,” Zhou Wei, an officer at the Zhuhai border crossing, told Xinhua.
The article also said that as of Saturday, more than 1.58 million vehicles had entered and exited through the Zhuhai border control point this year, a 113 per cent year-on-year increase. An average of more than 13,600 and 16,100 vehicles crossed the border on weekdays and weekends respectively.
The latest data was released on Saturday after United States broadcaster Voice of America, which is funded by the country’s government, published an article which said residents had the impression the bridge was underused and many media outlets called it a “ghost bridge”.
