Funded by Zhuhai Da Hengqin Port Industrial Co Ltd and being built by China State Construction Engineering Corp Ltd, construction of the RMB20.6 billion Hengqin Port & Integrated Transportation Hub is expected to be completed by the end of 2022.

With a footprint of 345,100 square meters and total floor space of 1.21 million square meters, the facility will encompass a port and integrated transportation hub along with comprehensive development and support zones.

The port’s integrated transportation hub function will cover such infrastructure as the Guangzhou-Zhuhai Intercity MRT Extension Line Hengqin Station, which is due to open by the end of this year. It will also comprise Macau Light Rapid Transit Hengqin Port Station, a long-distance passenger depot, a public transit hub station, taxi service facilities, social vehicle parking lots, urban roads and a station square.

Designed by OBERMEYER Engineering Consulting (Beijing) Co., Ltd., the transportation infrastructure will include a convenient vertical traffic system, which is to connect the underground hub comprehensive Transfer Hall and the exit-entry passenger Inspection Hall on the second floor. Passengers traveling between the Chinese mainland and Macau will experience seamless transport services.

The port is being built in two phases. Phase 1, the transitional port, was completed in December 2014 and operates 24 hours every day. Phase 2, which began construction in late 2016, is the main part of the project.

The existing transitional port can handle 100,000 border crossings per day, whereas the second-phase project will increase that number to 222,000 per day, bringing the annual quantity to 80 million.

According to the Zhuhai government website, the new port clearance functional zone will establish 14 exit and 14 entry manual inspection channels. There will be 60 self-service passageways plus 11 passenger vehicle and six truck lanes. The clearance quantity for vehicles will be 7,259 daily or 2.65 million annually, and 15,000 tons daily for goods or 5.33 million tons annually, making Hengqin a large Category-1 national port.