Guangdong Provincial Communication Group will construct, operate, and manage the Huangmao Sea Channel Bridge project with funding from Guangdong Province and Zhuhai and Jiangmen cities, according to an agreement signed on March 9.

With the group commencing work in June, Guangdong Provincial Highway Construction has been assigned by investors Guangdong Nanyue Transportation Investment & Construction, Zhuhai Communication Group, and Taishan Public Utility Group to establish a project management center.

One of the 2020 Guangdong key construction projects, the Huangmao Sea Channel Bridge is within the core area of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. It will connect Pingsha Town of the Gaolan Economic Zone via 17 spans over 31 km (19 miles) to Doushan Town of Jiangmen's Taishan.

A land acquisition and demolition agreement for the Zhuhai section was also signed on Monday with the Gaolan Port Economic Zone in the presence of Zhuhai Mayor Yao Yisheng, Jiangmen Mayor Liu Yi, and Guangdong Provincial Communication Group chairman Deng Xiaohua.

The communication group has a registered capital of 26.8 billion yuan, and 16 wholly owned and holding companies, 159 affiliated companies, and 50,356 employees. It controls listed companies Guangdong Expressway Development and Guangdong Nanyue Logistics.

The group is the main bearer of investment construction and management of expressways in Guangdong Province.

Rendering of Huangmao Sea Channel [Photo provided by Guangdong Provincial Communication Group to Zhuhai Daily]

Under the agreement signed Monday, Zhuhai will provide 450 mu (30 hectares) of permanent land use and a further 550 mu (37 hectares) temporarily. Sites have been leased to serve as office areas and dormitories for the preliminary project crew that will settle in this month.

In addition, the city will assure the supply of stone, soil, and sand, arrange sites for dumping of residue and sludge, and remove oyster breeding racks within the red lines drawn around the project. Maliutou Mt in Gaolan's Nanshui Town, for instance, is to be a quarry site.

The dual six-lane structure is designed with a speed of 100 kmph (62 mph) and life span of 100 years. It will link to the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge's west extension line in the east, and Guangdong Western Coastal and Xintai-Taierzhuang expressways in the west.

Upon completion, the project will contribute to connectivity in the Greater Bay Area, formation of the Guangdong expressway network, and synergic development between Hengqin Free Trade Zone, Gaolan Port Economic Zone, and Jiangmen's Greater Guanghai Bay Economic Zone.

To date, the preliminary design has passed evaluation, and bid documents have been compiled. The design of shop drawings and bidding process will be completed before construction gets underway.