Brand-new crossing books busy first day

Thousands of passengers vied to be among the first to ride over the world's longest sea span, as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge opened for traffic at 9 am Wednesday morning.

Many began lining up to ride shuttle buses across the bridge, departing from Hong Kong, Macao and Zhuhai, Guangdong province.

With the first sea span across the Pearl River Estuary now open, a journey that used to take about four hours between Hong Kong and Zhuhai or Macao now takes less than an hour. One-way shuttle bus trips cost 58 yuan ($8.35), and passengers can also travel by cross-boundary coaches, private cars or taxis.