Story highlights
The $20 billion Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge is the world's longest sea-crossing bridge.
The bridge is a central plank in China's ambitious plans to develop the Greater Bay Area.
Although the bridge is an engineering marvel, its construction has been dogged by controversy.

As we drive down the eerily deserted Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, the murky waters of the Pearl River Delta stretch as far as the eye can see. There is no land in sight.
Spanning 34 miles (55 kilometers), this is the longest sea-crossing bridge ever built. Gao Xinglin, assistant director and senior engineer at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Authority, meets us half way along. As we are buffeted by a strong wind, the tough conditions his construction crew experienced, as they perched on precarious platforms, working miles from land and high over the water, are evident.
Gao is visibly proud of his country’s monumental achievement.