Published : 2025-04-27
On April 27, 1997, Hong Kong's iconic Tsing Ma Bridge was opened.
Construction of the Tsing Ma Bridge began on May 25, 1992, and it cost HKD 7.144 billion. The bridge, part of the "Rose Garden" project (Hong Kong Airport Core Programme), spans the Ma Wan Channel, connecting the urban area with the Hong Kong International Airport located on Lantau Island.
Its main span measures 1,377 metres, and it was once the world's longest suspension bridge equipped for both road and rail traffic.
The bridge features a double-deck design, with an open upper deck for highways and a covered lower deck for railways, as well as two emergency vehicle lanes.
The bridge alone contains 50,000 tonnes of structural steel. The main cable comprises 33,400 steel wires with a diameter of 5.38 mm, woven back and forth from both ends. The total length of the steel wires reached 160,000 kilometres, enough to circle the Earth four times.
Just over a month after its opening, the bridge officially opened to traffic on May 22.
