The world's longest cross-sea bridge is almost complete.
The 34-mile-long bridge, which will connect Hong Kong, Macau, and Zhuhai, a city in mainland China, is scheduled to open in May 2018, Business Insider reported.
Here are some quick facts about the project:
- While the bridge took just seven years to build, officials said it should be usable for 120 years.
- The cost of the bridge is somewhat opaque, but according to local news, the price tag is around $15 billion, Business Insider reported.
- To support the structure, which has six lanes and four tunnels, with one underwater, crews had to build four artificial islands in the Pearl River Estuary.
- The project used 420,000 tons of steel, which is enough to create 60 Eiffel Towers.
- The bridge's construction has been wrought with controversy due to its cost, delays, accusations of corruption and safety concerns, Business Insider reported. During construction, two workers died and 19 others were charged with producing fake concrete test reports.
- Close to 40,000 vehicles are predicted to use the structure daily, including shuttles, which will run every 10 minutes. However, pedestrians and bicycles are not permitted.
- The bridge will cut commute times in half, allowing drivers to travel from Macau to Hong Kong in just one hour.
- This isn't China's first time building a bridge of this magnitude: In 2011, crews completed a $1.5 billion span 26.3 miles long between the city of Quingdao and the suburb of Huangdao. Now, it will be the world's second-longest cross-sea bridge, Business Insider reported.
