The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge is to be officially open to traffic at 9 a.m. on Oct. 24, said the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Authority.

The 55-kilometer-long bridge, situated in the Lingdingyang waters of the Pearl River Estuary, will be the world's longest sea bridge. The construction began on Dec. 15, 2009.

It will slash the travel time between Hong Kong and Zhuhai from three hours to just 30 minutes, further integrating the cities in the Pearl River Delta.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, announces the opening of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge at an opening ceremony in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province, Oct. 23, 2018.