Dec. 11, 2009 (China Knowledge) - The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, a mega bridge linking the two SARs, Hong Kong and Macau, and mainland city Zhuhai, will start construction on Dec. 15, Hong Kong newspaper Wen Wei Po reported today.

The land reclamation work for a proposed man-made island in Hong Kong will begin on Tuesday before the exploration project starts, said the report.

It is estimated that the bridge will be completed as early as in 2015, and that it will bring economic benefits totaling HK$40 billion in 20 years, said the newspaper.

In October, China's State Council approved the feasibility study report of the 29-km bridge project. The total investment for the project is estimated at RMB 37.5 billion. Reportedly, the central government will allocate RMB 5 billion for the project, while the SAR governments of Hong Kong and Macau will invest RMB 6.75 billion and RMB 1.98 billion, respectively. The remaining will be funded by bank loans.