AS the only direct road connecting the Shenzhen-Dongguan-Huizhou urban cluster on the eastern side of the Pearl River Estuary and the Zhuhai-Zhongshan-Jiangmen cluster on the western side, the Shenzhong (Shenzhen-Zhongshan) Link has recorded 8.9 million vehicle crossings since opening June 30.

Travel within Guangdong Province increased substantially during this year’s National Day holiday. The Shenzhong Link, which recorded 1.06 million vehicle trips during the holiday, was important to that increase, said Guangdong’s transportation authority.

According to the provincial  tourism department, Zhongshan was one of the biggest beneficiaries of increased travel during the holiday. The city received 3.41 million tourists, a 102.36% year-on-year increase, generating 1.968 billion yuan (US$274 million) in tourism-related revenue.

On the Shenzhen side, the city raked in a total of 7.6 billion yuan in tourism-related revenue during the holiday, up 11.3% over the same period last year. According to Shenzhen’s tourism authority, the city received 8.18 million tourist visits during the seven-day holiday, up 12.3% year on year.

The 24-kilometer-long Shenzhong Link starts at the Shenzhen airport interchange and connects with Ma’anshan Island in Zhongshan, cutting vehicle travel time between Zhongshan and Shenzhen to 30 minutes.

As a core component of transportation infrastructure in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), the link serves as a “transportation backbone” that seamlessly connects the urban centers on both sides of the Pearl River Estuary.    (Han Ximin)