A fleet of 88 buses and trucks crossed the 29.6-km main section of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) on New Year's Eve. Before the bridge can be opened to the public later this year, however, joints must be debugged, traffic engineering facilities commissioned, and equipment systems approved.

Lights along the world's longest sea-span shined in multiple colors as fireworks were set off from Eastern Artificial Island to celebrate both the successful passage and the New Year.

The celebration was held after basic completion of the main works and debugging of the illumination system, said HZMB Authority director Zhu Yongling. 

First vehicle fleet passes HZMB principal section

Functional and decorative lighting strung up along the entire bridge sparkled and undulated like a pearl necklace, while three navigable span bridges and two engineered islands were illuminated to resemble a pair of round jade stones. Lighting designers had borrowed the Chinese philosophy of bringing a string of perfectly matched pearls and pieces of jade together to form an artistic whole.

Color-changing lighting during holidays adds to the festive atmosphere but otherwise white is the dominant light, according to Cai Junfu, an engineer at the China Railway Construction Electrification Bureau and project head for the bridge transportation engineering.

Bridge-section landscape lights

With a total length of 55 km, the HZMB is an ultra-large sea-crossing infrastructure connecting Hong Kong, Zhuhai, and Macao.

Spanning the Lingding Sea, the main section contains the principal bridge section and a 6.7-km sub-sea tunnel. The components are linked by two islands constructed at the tunnel's east and west terminals. Three navigable cable-stayed bridges tower over the Jiuzhou, Jianghai, and Qingzhou channels. 

Toll station for HZMB electrified for further tests [Photos by Li Jianshu & Zhong Fan / Zhuhai Daily]