The world’s longest sea crossing is now open to traffic. The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge spans some 55 kilometers. President Xi Jinping inaugurated the bridge in a ceremony, about nine years after construction began.

CGTN’s He Weiwei filed this report.

The bridge is seen as a landmark in southern China’s Pearl River Delta. It will shorten the driving time between the three cities, from the current three hours to just 30 minutes.

The project consists of a main body, boundary-crossing facilities in each of the three cities, and three link roads. The main body consists of 23 kilometers of bridge, 7 kilometers of tunnel, and two artificial islands.

After six years of design and eight years of construction, the bridge is finally ready to open. It makes China a world leader in sea-based, super projects, breaking several world records.

The bridge is the world’s longest, sea-based project and has the world’s deepest underwater tunnel. It also took over 40,000 tons of steel to build.

The mega bridge will open to traffic starting from 9am local time, on Wednesday, Oct. 24.

Song Zhang on Chinese president’s launch of mega bridge

To discuss the significance of the Chinese president taking part in the bridge’s launch, CGTN’s Elaine Reyes talked with Song Zhang. He’s the Washington Bureau Chief for the Shanghai Wen Hui Daily.