Zhuhai authorities have scrapped plans to build a US$2 billion bridge to connect Zhuhai and Hong Kong across the Pearl River Delta. They decided against building the 27-kilometre bridge after studying a reassessment of vehicle forecasts that indicated earlier predictions were overly optimistic given the level of business activity between Hong Kong and Zhuhai, the Guangdong Daily reported. The authorities had estimated there would be initial daily traffic flow of 36,238 vehicles in 2005, rising to 93,407 vehicles a day by 2020. Highways Department officials in Hong Kong were unaware that Lingdingyang bridge, which had been slated for completion in 2006, had been scrapped. '[However], we've always believed the bridge was marginal, and have concentrated our efforts on the Shenzhen western corridor [link road] that will link the northwest New Territories with western Shenzhen,' a department official said. The official went on to describe the Lingdingyang bridge as a 'dreamland project'. 'The justification for building the bridge is minimal,' he said. The proposed Lingdingyang bridge was planned to run from Zhuhai via Lingdingyang Island in the middle of the Pearl River estuary to make a landfall in Hong Kong just north of Tuen Mun. The demise of the link will be a bitter blow to Sun Hung Kai Properties, which had spent a considerable amount of money on proposals to develop the landfall site near Tuen Mun and on Lingdingyang Island. The property company had also expressed interest in developing a new port complex at Lingdingyang Island, which was to become part of the western Shenzhen port comprising Shekou and Chiwan ports. The Zhuhai government said forecasts for passenger and cargo volumes at Zhuhai airport were also over optimistic as passenger volume at the airport had been only 10.8 per cent of design capacity since it began operations. Air cargo volumes have been only 2.6 per cent of capacity. The Zhuhai administration blames most of the problems on former city officials who were keen to develop projects without paying any attention to whether the schemes were needed. INFRASTRUCTURE