Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link in Guangdong Province Opens to Traffic on June 30

Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link Accelerates Interconnectivity in the Greater Bay Area

　　An inverted "V"-shaped estuary mouth divides the Pearl River Estuary into east and west banks, with Shenzhen and Dongguan of Guangdong Province on one side and Zhuhai and Zhongshan on the other. Overland point-to-point travel had to detour through Guangzhou, with the farthest distance exceeding 200 kilometers and a drive of more than 3 hours.

　　To overcome the barrier of river and sea and shorten the distance in time and space, cities on both sides of the bay area have long been "reaching out to each other" — the Humen Bridge was completed in 1997, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge opened to traffic in 2018, and the Nansha Bridge was completed in 2019... Now, with the opening of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link, the comprehensive transportation system of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is being continuously improved.

　　Viewed from high above, the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link winds like a giant dragon lying across the Lingdingyang estuary. This mega-project, about 24 kilometers long, integrates "bridges, islands, tunnels, and underwater interchanges" and is currently one of the world's most difficult cross-sea cluster projects in terms of comprehensive construction.

　　The shortening of distance in time and space is accelerating the formation of a "one-hour living circle" in the Greater Bay Area. The link pre-connects multiple urban arterial roads and expressways/high-speed roads on both banks, and is supported by affordable, public-benefit Shenzhen-Zhongshan intercity buses. During holidays, congestion on two-way trips between eastern and western Guangdong is expected to be alleviated.

　　The opening of this transportation artery is making the "one chessboard" of coordinated regional development increasingly dynamic. Since reform and opening up, development on the two banks of the Pearl River Estuary has gradually shown a trend of "the east being strong and the west being weak." Various production factors squeezed into the east bank, where land is "worth its weight in gold" and costs are high, are also eager to expand into greater development space on the west bank. The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link connects important node cities in the Greater Bay Area such as Shenzhen, Zhongshan, and Guangzhou Nansha, and will greatly facilitate the efficient allocation of people, goods, information, and capital flows between the two banks, promoting industrial chain coordination and the building of industrial clusters.

　　The Huangmaohai Link, the Shiziyang Link... In the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, many large cross-sea projects are still under construction. The continuously strengthened transportation infrastructure will promote the ongoing deepening of rule alignment in the Greater Bay Area and further enhance the level of market integration, serving as a strategic pillar for the new development pattern, a demonstration zone for high-quality development, and a leading area for Chinese-style modernization.