Hengqin Port in Zhuhai is a landmark project that promotes mutual connectivity in Southern China between Guangdong province and the Macao Special Administrative Region. Over the past two decades, the port has been a case study in solidarity between the two regions, serving as the new gateway from the Chinese mainland to Macao, with more than 80 million estimated annual crossings.
In order to meet the demand created by the rapid development of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone, the construction of the new Hengqin Port and a transportation hub began in December 2016. The project was undertaken by China Construction Second Engineering Bureau Ltd., a subsidiary of China State Construction Engineering Corporation.
Thanks to the tireless efforts of construction workers over 2,000 days and nights of construction, the port opened on schedule. Spanning 1.31 million square meters of land, the port finds new models of cooperation between Guangdong and Macao under the principle of “one country, two systems”.
The port adopts a “joint inspection and one-time release” customs-clearance mode, allowing passengers to enjoy the one-stop clearance experience. Such a clearance model has significantly improved efficiency, effectively promoting in-depth cooperation in the Pearl River Delta region.
The customs hall, with a total construction area of approximately 290,000 square meters, features monumental gateways with a span of 90 meters each at the east and west ends. The roof structure, a large-span truss structure, weighs 230 tons with a triangular cross-section reaching a height of 40 meters. The project utilized advanced construction techniques such as hydraulic synchronous lifting technology for the steel structure of the gateways.
Passing through the customs inspection channel at Hengqin Port, on the Macao side, is the newly renovated Lotus Bridge.
The entrance ramp of the Lotus Bridge has a minimum curve radius of only 55 meters, making it one of the smallest curve radii in the world at the time. The construction team overcame strict spatial limitations by developing a special construction technology to successfully upgrade and transform the bridge, effectively facilitating the integration and connectivity between Guangdong and Macao.
