Advertisement
Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge
Hong KongTransport

Coronavirus: traffic figures for Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge tumble dramatically amid Covid-19 border-control measures

  • The number of passengers dropped 90 per cent in February, the lowest usage since the highly touted bridge opened for business in October 2018
  • Transport bureau separately reveals recurrent expenditures for the bridge’s Hong Kong section stand at HK$337.8 million for 2019/20

Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Traffic across the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge plummeted in February following the implementation of tough new quarantine restrictions. Photo: Winson Wong
Cannix Yau
After more than a year in operation, the much-touted mega bridge linking Hong Kong with Zhuhai and Macau has seen a dramatic drop in usage amid the coronavirus pandemic, plummeting by 90 per cent in February.
Advertisement

According to figures recently released by the Transport and Housing Bureau to the Legislative Council, the number of passengers travelling via the local port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge in February stood at 205,300, down from about 2.08 million a year ago.

The vehicle flow at the bridge’s Hong Kong port, meanwhile, was down 64 per cent from a year ago, from 114,744 vehicles to just 40,788.

An aerial view of the Hong Kong side of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. Photo: Martin Chan
An aerial view of the Hong Kong side of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. Photo: Martin Chan

Both numbers were the worst since the 55km bridge – the world’s largest sea crossing – was opened in late October 2018 after two years’ of delays and billions of dollars in budget overruns.

Advertisement

The severe downturn comes as the Hong Kong government has imposed a series of measures since the end of January to reduce the cross-border passenger flow in a bid to contain the spread of Covid-19, including a mandatory two-week quarantine for travellers from mainland China.

Advertisement