Completed in 2018, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB) is officially the world’s longest bridge. The structure measures more than 55 kilometers (34 miles) and connects Hong Kong, Macau, and Zhuhai. As you might come to expect, designing such a magnificent work of art necessitated incredible feats of engineering.
The HZMB was built to help drivers shave time from their commute, drawing a straight path between the popularly-traveled regions of Hong Kong, Macau, and Zhuhai. After the bridge was constructed, drivers no longer needed to drive around the entire bay to get from one place to another.
The engineers designed the bridge to be sturdy enough to hold up the elements, including the ocean and the nasty weather sometimes imposed by seasonal typhoons. They were also mindful of air and sea traffic in addition to surrounding wildlife that could have been impacted from such a massive construction project.
The construction team accomplished all of this by designing the HZMB to be comprised of a hybrid bridge-tunnel system. Part of the bridge sits above the water’s surface like an ordinary bridge, while another region transforms into a tunnel and burrows underground to make way for more substantial boat traffic.
You can learn more about the bridge and how it was constructed in the video above.
