The operator of the bridge linking Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macau will have to raise 54 billion yuan, says legislator Lau Kong-wah. Speaking after meeting Huang Weihong, deputy director of the Guangdong People's Congress Standing Committee, Mr Lau said the amount would cover all reclamation and construction costs. He said mainland authorities had agreed that the bridge would adopt the build, operate, transfer (BOT) model, under which a franchisee pays the construction costs, operates the project and returns it to the governments. Expressing concern over this model, Mr Lau said: 'I hope the BOT franchise can be lengthened, to keep the toll low.' Transport services legislator Miriam Lau Kin-yee also agreed that the BOT period had to be long enough to compensate for the expensive price tag. The legislators are part of the Legislative Council transport panel delegation paying a visit to Guangzhou. It is the first mainland visit by a Legco panel, coming after a landmark trip by 59 lawmakers in September.
