The Shenzhong (Shenzhen-Zhongshan) Link opened to traffic at 3 p.m. yesterday.

In a congratulatory letter yesterday, President Xi Jinping said that the link is another large-scale transportation project in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) following the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. The project managed to overcome numerous world-class technical challenges and set multiple world records. The 55-kilometer Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge opened in October 2018 and is the longest bridge-and-tunnel sea crossing in the world.

A drone photo of the Shenzhong Bridge of Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link. Liu Xudong

All participants, through their hard work and unwavering determination, have successfully completed the project with high quality, Xi said.

“This fully illustrates that Chinese modernization can only be achieved through solid work, as all great causes are accomplished through concrete actions,” he said.

Xi underscored efforts to manage and make good use of the passage and promote infrastructure connectivity and alignment of rules and mechanisms to facilitate the building of an integrated market in the GBA.

Spanning 24 kilometers, the link drastically reduces the time it takes to travel between the cities of Zhongshan and Shenzhen — situated on opposite sides of the Pearl River Estuary — from two hours to approximately 30 minutes.

Shenzhen Party chief Meng Fanli said the city will introduce more initiatives to facilitate travel for residents of both cities, optimizing flows of people, goods, information, and capital.

Shenzhen and Zhongshan will collaborate to build a world-class advanced manufacturing cluster, develop modern services industries, and accelerate the establishment of a future-oriented modern industrial system, Meng added.

“The opening of the link will reshape the road network layout of the Pearl River Estuary, significantly impacting the economic and social development of the GBA,” said Lin Feiming, head of the provincial transport department.

Experts say the link will enhance regional development and competitiveness, bridging the economic gap between the eastern and western shores of the Pearl River Estuary and facilitating leisure travel.

With an estimated cost of 44.69 billion yuan (US$6.15 billion), the Shenzhong Link is considered one of the world’s most challenging cross-sea cluster projects ever built. Over 15,000 workers overcame obstacles such as frequent typhoons, high-salinity water, humidity, and severe siltation during seven years of construction.

Covering 56,000 square kilometers, the GBA encompasses Hong Kong, Macao and nine cities in Guangdong. It achieved a total economic output of over 14 trillion yuan in 2023. China aims to develop the area into a world-class city cluster, a global technology and innovation center, and a livable, business-friendly location.