The world’s ‘most terrifying’ bridge has opened in China with a 34-mile crossing that sends drivers plummeting into the sea.
China has completed a gigantic new bridge linking Hong Kong to the mainland of the country
The terrifying $20bn structure will be the world’s longest sea-crossing bridge when it officially opens later this week.
The enormous bridge crossing will also see cars descend into a 6.7-kilometer (4-mile) submerged tunnel that was built to allow shipping containers to pass overhead.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the opening ceremony in Zhuhai on Thursday, bringing an end to the ambitious construction project which has taken nine years to complete.
The bridge is part of plans for the Greater Bay Area which covers 56,500 square kilometers and incorporates 68 millions people in 11 different cities.
“With the bridge, the traveling time between Hong Kong and the Western Pearl River Delta region will be shortened significantly, thereby bringing the Western Pearl River Delta region within three hours’ drive from Hong Kong,”one official said in a statement.
The bridge will allow tourists visiting Hong Kong to travel freely to the rest of China.
The journey time to Macau, a city popular for its shopping and large casinos, has now been cut from three hours to just 30 minutes.
However, private car owners will not be able to cross the bridge without a special permit and most drivers will be forced to ditch their vehicle and take a shuttle bus or hire car to complete the journey.
Shuttle buses cost $8-$10 for a single trip.
Hong Kong has seen a massive surge in tourist numbers in recent years, with many visitors coming from mainland China.
Hong Kong residents have expressed serious concerns over the costly new bridge, and say it will not benefit the city which has seen a massive rise in housing costs and homelessness in recent years.
“It links Hong Kong to China almost like an umbilical cord. You see it, and you know you’re linked up to the motherland”, one source told CNN.