(Photo: Xinhua)

According to data from the Guangdong Provincial Transport Group, 125,000 vehicles used the Shenzhong Link within the first 24 hours of its opening Sunday afternoon. A total of 8,000 vehicles used the link in the first hour of its opening, and 64,000 vehicles in nine hours.

By 8 a.m. yesterday, more than 80,000 vehicles had used the link.

Vehicles waited at tollgates for hours before the link officially opened at 3 p.m. Sunday. Many Shenzhen drivers were excited about the momentous occasion and wanted to be among the first to experience it.

"This is a magnificent project, and we are very proud of the engineering feat," said a driver surnamed Xu. He had traveled with his wife and relatives from Northeast China. After a long wait, they finally drove onto the bridge at around 6 p.m. Sunday. The traffic was slow and the bridge was crowded with vehicles.

"I had originally planned to drive on the bridge one week after the opening, but I can't wait and want my relatives to share the experience," said Xu.

In Zhongshan, Xu treated his relatives to local cuisine and specialties. The traffic situation was much better when returning to Shenzhen, and Xu completed his first round-trip voyage on the link around 10 p.m. Sunday.

"I enjoyed the feeling of driving on the bridge, which is 90 meters above the sea, taking in the view of the Lingding Sea and going through the tunnel that is 30 meters under the water," said Xu, feeling a little tired.

The Shenzhong Link is a key horizontal component of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area's A-shaped Pearl River Estuary transportation network, which links the city clusters on the eastern and western sides of the estuary. Travel time between Shenzhen and Zhongshan has been reduced from about 2 hours to around 30 minutes, bringing cities on both sides of the estuary into a one-hour travel circle.

The fee for the Shenzhong Link from the Xixiang North Tollgate in Bao'an District to the Cuiheng East Tollgate in Zhongshan is 66 yuan (US$9.26) in cash. Those using the Guangdong e-service card payment receive a 5% discount and pay 64.6 yuan.

The Shenzhen transport authority estimated that 80,000 to 100,000 vehicles will use the Shenzhong Link each day. Drivers are not allowed to park or stop on the link.

To ensure public safety, vehicles carrying dangerous chemicals and heavy trucks are banned from using the link. Drivers are advised to obey traffic rules, maintain a safe distance between vehicles, and control speed limits, especially when going down long slopes and driving in the tunnel.

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