China is a world-renowned infrastructure powerhouse, and its infrastructure technology is one of the best. Many projects have even been called miracles by foreigners. When it comes to China's infrastructure projects, we have to mention bridges. Among them, the most famous bridge project is Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge .
In 2018, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, which spent 126.9 billion yuan to build nine years, was officially launched. As of today, four years have passed. However, what is unexpected is that the opening of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge is unsatisfactory. The traffic flow caused by such a grand project is scattered, and the operation of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge is also constantly losing money. So what exactly makes the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge without vehicles?
Although the construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge only started in 2009, as early as the 1980s, a businessman from Hong Kong, Hu Yingxiang , put forward relevant ideas. And after Hong Kong officially returned to the embrace of the motherland in 1997, Hu Yingxiang once again gave suggestions to relevant departments on building the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and expressed that he was willing to invest in the construction.
However, as far as the situation was concerned, due to the limitations of the times, the construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge has never been implemented. It was not until 2009 that the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge officially started with the support of various conditions such as the right time, place and people.
In the construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, since the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge is designed to pass through the sea surface of the area, if the bridge is stable, the circular steel cylinder can only be fixed by artificial island building. In addition, during the sea surface construction, the project team also needs to face complex and changeable submarine environment, as well as the impact of natural climate, etc., so the construction difficulty can be said to be unprecedented.
Finally, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, which cost 126.9 billion yuan in construction, was officially completed in 2018. At the same time, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge has become the world's most difficult and longest cross-sea bridge .
It is undeniable that the construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge is very driving force for economic exchanges between Hong Kong, Macao and Guangdong, and has also accelerated the process of economic integration between Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao. This project was highly expected when it was proposed, and when the Zhuhai-Macao Bridge was officially completed, the high expectations were only more. However, the traffic flow on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, which is highly anticipated, is very rare. So what exactly causes this situation?
According to relevant statistics, the average number of vehicles passing through the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge is only more than 4,000 per day. Even if calculated based on the toll of 150 yuan per car, the profit that can be realized in a year is only 230 million yuan, which is completely incompatible with the cost investment of more than 120 billion yuan. In addition, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge also requires high maintenance and maintenance costs during its operation. The limited revenue but the increasing costs have made the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge continue to suffer losses.
According to relevant car owners, the reason why car owners do not want to pass through the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge is mainly because the standards for wanting to pass through the Guangzhou Bridge are too high, and not everyone can meet such standards. For example, when you go to Hong Kong and Macau from Guangdong Province, you need to have a Hong Kong and Macau pass and a driver's license. Moreover, when entering Hong Kong and Macau, there are restrictions on license plates.
In other words, if you want to pass on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, in addition to the mainland driver's license, car owners also need to obtain Hong Kong and Macau passes and driver's licenses. In addition, when it comes to vehicle registration, you also need to hang license plates in three places, namely license plates in Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macau.
In this process, let alone the cost of obtaining a driver's license and applying for a pass, the cost of registering a vehicle alone is very high. In the case of others' agency, the agency fee required is as high as 50,000. And if you want to buy a vehicle that has been licensed, the cost can be as high as one million.
More importantly, it is not something that people can apply for when applying for a license plate in three places. When applying for a license plate in Hong Kong, vehicles in Hong Kong need to invest in the mainland. Moreover, the accumulated tax amounts within three years are different, and the corresponding number of vehicles handled is different.
For example, if the cumulative tax payment in the mainland in three years can reach 100,000, then you can apply for a license plate; if it can reach 500,000, you can apply for two license plates; if it can reach 1 million, then you can apply for a license plate of three cars. In addition, when mainland Guangdong Province entered Hong Kong, most of the entities who wanted to apply for license plates were relatively qualified enterprises, and the tax payment in three years would exceed 1 million.
So, under such strict restrictions, most vehicles have been eliminated, and eventually there are fewer vehicles able to go on the road on the Guangzhou Bridge. Under this situation, some people will have some doubts. The construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, which only loses money but does not make money, is too "scattered". So what is the significance of the construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge?
It is undeniable that in the short term, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge is indeed in constant losses, but it should be noted that the construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge should be considered from a long-term perspective. There is a relatively large gap in the economic development level between the mainland and Hong Kong and Macao. Due to historical reasons and the support of national policies, the economic development level of Hong Kong and Macao is generally relatively high, while the economic development of the mainland started relatively late, and the development level is naturally different from that of Hong Kong and Macao.
However, for now, the mainland's economy is also constantly upgrading and transforming. If this period of transformation is passed, the mainland's economy will also develop very rapidly, and the gap with Hong Kong and Macau can be continuously narrowed. At that time, the traffic conditions between the three places will naturally be relaxed, and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge can truly become a road that civilians can access.
Conclusion:
Overall, the reason why the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge has relatively scarce traffic is mainly because there are differences in economic development and institutional differences between the mainland and Hong Kong and Macau at this stage, resulting in higher requirements for traffic between the mainland and Hong Kong and Macau. In this way, most ordinary people may not be able to meet the requirements. However, with the development of time, the mainland's economy has been continuously improving, and the gap with Hong Kong and Macau has been narrowing. Against this background, it is only a matter of time before the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge can achieve civilian access.
Today's topic: It cost 126.9 billion but becomes a decoration? Why is the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge "free pass"? Car owner: The requirements are too high
