Macau's first all-weather bridge will be completed early next year in time for the East Asian Games. It will be the third bridge linking the Macau peninsula to the island of Taipa.

During the games next year, the bridge will bring athletes and tourists from the southwest of the Macau peninsula to Taipa and Cotai, where most of the sports venues are located. Still, Manuel Silverio, chairman of the games organising committee, said there were no guarantees of unimpeded traffic during the games.

'Even during the Real Madrid match in Hong Kong last year, there were traffic problems around the Hong Kong Stadium, and Hong Kong has a more developed traffic system than Macau,' Mr Silverio said. At present, the existing two bridges are closed during strong typhoon signals due to strong winds.