As the name suggests, the bridge links Hong Kong and Macau to the Chinese mainland. It's part of the Greater Bay Area plan, an initiative to create a high-tech counterpart to America's Silicon Valley.

Anyone wanting to drive the bridge just for run will have to apply for a special permit, though. The intent is for the bridge to be used by private buses, hired cars, and commercial vehicles. Public transport routes will not cross the bridge.

Three cable-stayed bridges support the overall bridge structure, which includes a tunnel that stretches nearly 7 kilometers (4 miles) underwater to avoid having the bridge interfere with local shipping. Construction crews built an artificial island at either end of the tunnel.

Some artistry was put into the project, design crews said. Towers above the bridge are meant to look like dolphins, after the white dolphin, which has its habitat nearby. As well, the curves in the road are meant to suggest the shape of a snake.

Construction crews built the bridge very strong, strong enough to withstand disasters like a magnitude 8 earthquake, a super-strength typhoon, or even a wayward cargo ship.

The $20 billion bridge took nine years to build and is made up of 400,000 tons of steel–4.5 times what went into the Golden Gate Bridge.

Some controversy has accompanied construction. A handful of workers have died and nearly 300 have been injured during construction. And, although the construction company has created some more marine parks and one of the tower designs is after the white dolphin, that species is already endangered and local biologists fear that the dolphins' days are numbered.