USA EPA
The annual standard for PM2.5 is met whenever the 3 year average of the annual mean PM2.5 concentrations for designated monitoring sites in an area is less than or equal to 15.0 µg/m3.
http://www.epa.gov/pmdesignations/faq.htm
Hong Kong PM2.5 levels (note they deliberately have no monitoring station in Mongkok and Causeway Bay) attached (source HK EPD)
The levels are 2 ½ to 3 times higher than the US legal permissible amount.
PM2.5 is 1/30 the width of a human hair and enters into the lungs unhindered.
Bridge Timeline
| Timeline of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Proposal | ||
| Year | Events | |
| 1983 | Gordon Wu proposes the idea of the bridge. | |
| 1989 | Zhuhai publishes the Lingdingyang Bridge program. | |
| 1997 | China’s central government shows support for the Lingdingyang Bridge program. | |
| 2002 (November) | Zhu Rongji, the Premier of China at that time, shows support of Wu’s idea. | |
| 2003 | The Chinese government shows support of the idea. | |
| 2003 (July) | Donald Tsang, the Chief Secretary for Administration of Hong Kong, goes to Beijing to meet with the Chinese government about the bridge. | |
| 2003 (August) | The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Advance Work Coordination Group was established. | |
| 2007 (May) | On 17 February 2006, the HK Airport Authority (ie the HK Government as sole shareholder) confirmed it will hold 55% stake in a company that operates the Zhuhai Airport, with the remaining 45% owned by Zhuhai Airport. The company will not own the assets or the liabilities of the airport. HK Government also announces its intention to get involved in the expansion of Nansha. Zhuhai airport serves Chinese Mainland destinations.
2007 May – Seabed feasibility study began. |
|
| 2008 (August) | China’s Central Government, the governments of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau agreed to finance 42% of the total costs. The remaining 58% will consist of loans (approximately 22 billion yuan or 3.23 billion US dollars) from Bank of China.[4] | |
| 2009 (March) | China’s Central Government, Hong Kong and Macau agrees to finance 22% of the total costs. The remaining 78% will consist of loans (approximately 57.3 billion yuan or 8.4 billion US dollars) from a consortium of banks led by the Bank of China.[5] | |
| 2009 (December) | Construction of the bridge begins. Vice Premier of Chinese Government Li Keqiang took charge of the commencement ceremony. | |