The world's longest sea-crossing span, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, opened to traffic on Wednesday, transporting more than 20,000 passengers between the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions and Zhuhai in Guangdong province.

Before the official opening hour of 9 am, there was an atmosphere of festivity as many enthusiastic passengers gathered at the bridge's Hong Kong, Macao and Zhuhai ports. While waiting excitedly to be the bridge's first batch of passengers, they were busy taking photos to record the historic moment.

Shuttle buses, cross-boundary coaches and cross-boundary hire cars were among passengers' options for travel between Hong Kong and Macao, or Hong Kong and Zhuhai via the bridge. The shuttle bus provides 24-hour service in intervals of 10 minutes during peak periods.

The first shuttle bus from Hong Kong Port to Zhuhai Port left around 9:15 am and arrived in Zhuhai 40 minutes later. Before the bridge, it took as long as four hours traveling by bus from Hong Kong to Zhuhai.

China Daily interviewed 47-year-old Indian national Ram Venkat Raman. Living in Hong Kong, Raman and his wife got on the first shuttle from Hong Kong to Macao. He described the view from the bridge as spectacular. He said the bus is more convenient with better facilities compared with ferry services he had previously used.

Through China Daily's lens, let's revisit the jubilant moments of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge's first day of operation.

willa@chinadailyhk.com

A coach drives along the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge on Wednesday, the day the bridge opens to traffic. Parker zheng / China Daily