Big Day Is Here: World's Longest Sea Bridge Set to Open

Worries about its structural integrity haunted the world's longest sea bridge earlier this year, but the HZMB now appears to be set to open. CNN reports the $20 billion Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge will officially have its ribbon cut Tuesday, nine years after construction on the bridge started, at a ceremony that will include Chinese President Xi Jinping among those in attendance. Traffic will start to be allowed onto the 34-mile bridge on Wednesday.

Eager travelers shouldn't hop behind the wheel just yet, though. The Guardian reports the bridge will mostly be used by freight vehicles and shuttle buses; private drivers will have to secure a special permit to use the HZMB. If they don't or can't get a permit, individuals will have to park at the Hong Kong port and jump into a shuttle bus (at a cost of between $8 and $10) or other specially commissioned vehicle to cross. Despite all the fanfare, Fortune notes not everyone is throwing confetti, with critics saying the bridge will maintain China's stranglehold on the region. (The bridge apparently made it through a super typhoon last month.)