The world's longest sea bridge has opened. It links Hong Kong, Macau and China's mainland. It is 55 kilometres long. The bridge took a decade to build. Builders made special islands in the river to provide supports for the bridge. There is also a 6.7-kilometre underwater tunnel in the middle of the bridge. This is for ships to sail over. The new bridge is longer than 14 Golden Gate Bridges. The bridge will cut the time it takes to travel from mainland China to Hong Kong and Macau. The journey time to Macau has been cut from three hours to just 30 minutes.
China's president attended the opening ceremony on Thursday. He hopes the bridge will connect 68 million people in 11 cities. Up to 29,000 cars will cross the sea link daily by 2030. A trade and tourism expert said: "This makes Hong Kong a lot more accessible for goods, passengers and trade, so this is a benefit from the economic perspective." Tourists will be able to drive across the bridge, but local car owners will have to buy a special permit. Most drivers will take a shuttle bus to make the journey. The shuttle buses will cost $8-$10 per trip.