Chinese President Chi Jinping will attend Tuesday's opening ceremony of the world's largest sea bridge linking Chinese territory with Hong Kong and Macao.
The 55-km-long bridge cost $ 20 billion and was built for nine years and was supposed to open in 2016, but the deadline was delayed after a series of problems.
The opening ceremony, which will be held on Tuesday, in the presence of the Chinese president and senior officials in Hong Kong and Macao, precedes the opening of the bridge to the public, scheduled for the following day.
The bridge between the southern city of Zhuhai and the mouth of the Pearl River, the island of Lantau in Hong Kong, then westward towards the Macao pocket, through 11 cities.
The bridge shortens the journey between the cities it passes from 3 hours to 30 minutes, making it easier for passengers to move around the area.
"The bridge will cut travel time between Hong Kong and the West Pearl River Delta significantly," said Chang Chan, director of transportation in Zhuhai, according to CNN.
In contrast, the bridge construction project faced some difficulties, and its perpetrators were accused of corruption, while a number of workers involved in its construction died.
Hong Kong residents are also taking advantage of the project, seeing it as a Chinese way of bringing their country into a mainland route to strengthen Beijing's grip on the former British colony.
Hong Kong citizens wishing to travel through the bridge will have to obtain a special permit from China.
They will not be able to cross the bridge with their own cars, but with buses ranging from $ 8 to $ 10 per trip, or Chinese rental cars.
