The third channel connecting Zhuhai’s West and East wings is under construction with pilings for the trestle and a temporary access road having been completed early this month, according to the Zhuhai Communication Group.   

The Honghe Bridge project starts at Nanping Town’s Hongwan Interchange, accesses the link line of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, and runs westward over the Hongwan River. Plans state it then passes through the reserved channel north of the planned Hongwan Port Area, spans Hongwan Waterway in the southwest, crosses the proposed Mangzhou Wetland on Hengqin Island, and then continues on to Modaomen Waterway to the South Hezhou Reclamation Area. 

Proposed Honghe Bridge [File photo]

In the end, it will form a South Hezhou Interchange by connecting the Jiangmen-Zhuhai Expressway extension line and Hezhou-Gaolan Port Expressway.

Authorized by the provincial Development & Reform Commission last December, the project is to cost 400 million yuan ($58.5 million) by year-end. At present, the construction company is proceeding with project encampment, processing reinforcement bars, treating soft foundations, and constructing the trestle bridge and temporary access roads. 

With a contract period of 3.5 years, the 9.65 km bridge is designed with two-way six-lane expressway standards. The main navigation channel bridges over the Hongwan and Modaomen channels are designed as 500-m span double-pylon double-plane cable-stayed bridges, Zhuhai Communication Group announced on Nov 14.

Upon completion, the Honghe Bridge will ease traffic pressure on Zhuhai Avenue, form an expressway network with the Jinhai, Guangzhou-Macao, Jiangmen-Zhuhai, and Hezhou-Gaolan Port expressways, and open passages from west Guangdong Province to Hong Kong and Zhuhai.