The Shenzhen Bay Port and Shenzhen Bay Bridge was officially opened by President Hu Jintao yesterday.

Also known as the Western Corridor, it will ease the heavy traffic flow at three other border crossings.

Hu drove through the bridge and cut a ribbon at the boundary between the southern mainland city of Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

The president spent some time talking to immigration officers at the border about the bridge and its vehicular capacity.

The bridge, which was opened to the public at 6 pm yesterday, is the first border crossing to have a co-location arrangement.

Passengers will have to make just one stop to be cleared by immigration and customs, shortening clearance time by more than 10 minutes.

Many people were at Tuen Mun bus terminus 2 hours before the bridge's opening, hoping to be the first to cross it. The situation was the same at Shenzhen.

State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan said the bridge signaled the advantages of the "one country, two systems" principle.

"The completion of the project has significantly improved the infrastructure of Hong Kong and Shenzhen. It has also enabled a more convenient transport system between Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta region," he said.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang said the two cities "had cooperated closely over the years, and were as close as family members.

"Staff of the two sides will work in the same building to serve people of the two cities. This indicates the determination of the two neighbors to strive for a win-win situation and progress."

Secretary of the Communist Party of China's (CPC) Guangdong Provincial Committee Zhang Dejiang, Guangdong Governor Huang Huahua, Secretary of the CPC Shenzhen Municipal Committee Li Hongzhong, Shenzhen Mayor Xu Zongheng, Hong Kong Secretary for Security Ambrose Lee, and Secretary for Transport and Housing Eva Cheng attended the ceremony.

The 5.5-km-long bridge links Ngau Hom Shek in Yuen Long with Shekou in Shenzhen. It is expected to have a daily traffic flow of 29,800 vehicles and 30,800 passengers.

Hong Kong's Highways Department project manager, Chow Ying-shun, said the daily flow would likely increase to 42,000 vehicles and 89,000 passengers by 2016.

The Shenzhen Bay Port will initially be open for 17.5 hours a day, from 6:30 am to midnight.

Hong Kong contributed HK$2.3 billion and the mainland HK$1 billion toward construction of the bridge.

Chow said maintenance of the bridge would be the responsibility of Hong Kong.

(China Daily 07/02/2007 page2)