Subsequent to the opening ceremony of the Shenzhen Bay Port officiated by President Hu Jintao, the Shenzhen Bay Bridge (the Bridge), which is also known as the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Corridor, was commissioned on 1 July 2007. The 5.5km-long Bridge is the fourth vehicular boundary crossing between Hong Kong and the Mainland. The alignment of the Bridge starts at the Shenzhen Bay Port located at the newly reclaimed area at Dongjiaotou, Shekou. It spans across Deep Bay and lands at Ngau Hom Shek in the Northwest New Territories.
President Mr Hu Jintao officiated at the opening ceremony of the Shenzhen Bay Port, accompanied by Chief Executive of the HKSAR, Mr Donald Tsang; Guangdong Governor, Mr Huang Huahua; Shenzhen Mayor, Mr Xu Zongheng; Secretary for Security of the Government of the HKSAR, Mr Ambrose Lee; and the representatives of the constructors from Hong Kong and Shenzhen.
With the Bridge linking Hong Kong and Shekou, vehicles between the two places will no longer need to pass through the busy major roads within Shenzhen city centre. The opening of the Bridge will enhance the status of Hong Kong as a business/trade/logistic hub in the Pearl River Delta, and will further expand trading between Hong Kong and the southern Mainland. We expect that the Bridge will bring about substantial benefits to both Hong Kong and Shenzhen.
The Government of the HKSAR commenced the construction of the Hong Kong section of the Bridge in August 2003 and the works were completed in December 2005. The deck structures of the Shenzhen and Hong Kong sections of the Bridge were connected in January 2006.
The Shenzhen Bay Bridge, a single tower cable-stayed bridge, is a prominent feature in Deep Bay.
Co-location arrangement for both passenger and cargo clearance is implemented at the Shenzhen Bay Port to streamline procedures and save passengers’ time. To implement the co-location arrangement, the Shenzhen Bay Port Hong Kong Port Area Ordinance was passed on 25 April 2007 to establish a Hong Kong Port Area (HKPA) and allow HKSARG to exercise jurisdiction in the HKPA which covers both the Hong Kong clearance area in Shenzhen Bay Port and the Shenzhen section of the Bridge. The Ordinance provides the statutory basis for implementing the co-location arrangement at the Shenzhen Bay Port.
The Bridge is under a very tight programme starting from its planning all through to the construction stages. The fact that this large-scale project can be implemented within such a short time frame fully demonstrates the close cooperation and joint efforts between the two Governments of Hong Kong and Shenzhen.
The Shenzhen Bay Bridge starts from the new reclamation in Dongjaotou at Shekou, stretches across Deep Bay and lands at the northwestern part of the New Territories at Ngau Hom Shek.