Construction of HK-Shenzhen Corridor Begins

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, August 29, 2003

Construction of HK-Shenzhen Corridor Begins

Construction of the western passage between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, started Thursday.The project consists of a 4,770 meter road bridge spanning Shenzhen Bay, a cloverleaf junction and customs facilities. Designed to ease heavy traffic between the two cities, the passage is expected to be completed by 2005. Total investment willtop 12.6 billion yuan (about 1.52 billion US dollars).

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Ground Breaking Ceremony for Bridge

A ground-breaking ceremony was launched Thursday for construction of the Shenzhen side of a cross-sea bridge with road links known as the Western Corridor. Hong Kong has already begun work on the other end of this major new link scheduled to open in late 2005.

Co-funded by the Shenzhen municipal government and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the corridor will be the fourth transport linking boundary between the two places.

Chinese vice-premier Zeng Peiyan, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, attended the foundation laying ceremony on behalf of the Central Government.

Prior to the ceremony, Zeng met with Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Tung Chee Hwa.

During the meeting, Zeng said the western passage project was launched under the CEPA (Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement) framework and the cooperative mechanism on large-scale infrastructure projects between the mainland and Hong Kong. It shows the determination of the Central Government and various departments of the mainland in supporting Hong Kong's economic development.

Zeng said the project would play a positive role in maintaininglong-term prosperity and stability in Hong Kong and boosting economic development of the mainland.

Tung said that the corridor linking Hong Kong and the adjacent Shenzhen in China's mainland would help the overall economic development of Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta (PRD) in China's mainland.

The five-kilometer-long corridor, in addition to the current three road links is expected to bring a net economic benefit of 175 billion Hong Kong dollars (22.4 billion US dollars ) in the years to 2020.

Tung noted that the corridor would not only alleviate the traffic congestion problem between Hong Kong and the PRD, but also play an important role in helping to promote the overall development of PRD.

Tung thanked the Central Government for its support to Hong Kong and said enhanced cooperation between the mainland and Hong Kong would play a positive and important role in promoting Hong Kong's economic revival and development.

The new road link is expected to boost the mutual development of Hong Kong and the mainland, and, in particular, to further hone the competitive edge of the Pearl River Delta region, said Huang Huahua, governor of Guangdong Province.

The new bridge will also boost development of finance, logistics and tourism, and better position Hong Kong as the hub of the Pearl River Delta, Huang said.

Traffic volume between Hong Kong and Shenzhen has increased by 5 per cent on a year-on-year basis over the past five years, and official statistics indicate an average of 42,000 vehicles crossing the border each day.

Daily Hong Kong-Shenzhen traffic volume is expected to reach 65,000 vehicles in 2006. The new bridge is expected to handle an additional 80,000 vehicles daily, bringing the total vehicle volume to 122,000.

On the Hong Kong side, the bridge will be extended by a connecting road, Deep Bay Link. Construction of the connection began in June.

"To build the Shenzhen Western Corridor, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and regional express rail link between Hong Kong and Guangzhou, we will fulfil our common goal of transforming the Greater Pearl River Delta into the most vibrant and competitive international economic zone in the world," the chief executive said.

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