Macao boundary crossing area of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge ready by end of 2017

MACAO, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Construction of the Macao boundary crossing structure for the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge will be completed at the end of 2017 and its facilities are ready to put into trial operation, the special administrative region's government information bureau said Wednesday.

It said the government will closely liaise with Hong Kong and Guangdong authorities on the exact date of the launch of the bridge, which is to be approved by China's central government.

The bureau also said that there will be shuttle buses running between the Macao and Hong Kong boundary crossing areas, and between the Hong Kong and Zhuhai boundary areas. Macao-Hong Kong transport services will include trucks, buses, taxis and private vehicles, the latter three categories of which are subject to quotas.

Regarding Hong Kong-Macao bus services, there will be 50 quota rights to operate services on a daily basis, 34 for Hong Kong entities and 16 for Macao entities.

The bureau said it will announce more details once decisions on quotas for taxi services and for private vehicles are made.

The Macao boundary crossing area, located on one of the bridge's two artificial islands, covers 71.6 hectares, including a six-floor building for customs clearance, two public car parks with a total of 6,800 slots for private vehicles and another 2,000 for motorcycles.

Facilities at the Macao boundary area also include buildings for municipal usage, the road network, tunnels, flyovers, and railway platforms. Enditem