Opening day nears for pedestrian Qingmao Checkpoint

The Zhuhai portion of the pedestrian-only Guangdong-Macao Channel (Qingmao Checkpoint) is being prepared to open while the Macao side is ready to go once testing is completed and the two governments determine a date.

The 24/7 facility has 100 self-service and four staffed inspection channels. A Macao-mainland "Joint Inspection & One-Time Release" immigration and customs clearance mode will ensure a daily capacity of 200,000 border crossing passengers. Travelers will pass border controls only once when completing departure and arrival formalities.

The checkpoint has 167,000 sqm (41 acres) of floorage with the second level for Macao-bound traffic, and the third for Gongbei-bound travelers. The design highlights green, ecology, environmental friendliness, and high efficiency elements. The modern outlook echoes mushrooming business buildings in Gongbei and the cityscape of northern Macao. Buses, trains, and pedestrians are prioritized in the transport system.

Qingmao Checkpoint with corridor leading to Intercity MRT Zhuhai Station and Gongbei Checkpoint upper left, Duck border channel running beneath the buildings, and Ilha Verde section of Macao at right [Photo by Guan Mingrong / Nanfangplus]

A stilted weatherproof corridor, which is 400 m (437 yd) long and 20 m (22 yd) wide, connects the checkpoint with the Intercity MRT Zhuhai Station. The site is 800 m (875 yd) southwest of the Macao Frontier Post exit to Gongbei over the Canal de Patos (Duck channel).

There are two major entrances-exits in Zhuhai. One, at the northeast corner of Yuehai International Garden on Guofang Road, has eight escalators and two stairways. It is 100 m (109 yd) from South Guihua Road, which carries inbound vehicles from Macao, and the stilt floor of Intercity MRT Zhuhai Station.

The other entrance-exit is where the weatherproof corridor meets Intercity MRT Zhuhai Station, near the second pass of the entry lane for border-crossing vehicles.

Upon completion, the project will alleviate pressure on the Gongbei Checkpoint, boost infrastructure connectivity of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and provide 250,000 residents in northern Macao with the benefit of development achievements under Guangdong-Macao cooperation.

The checkpoint project also encompasses an expo center for famous and quality Guangdong-Macao products as well as an ecological sightseeing corridor along the 2.3-km (1.4-mile) Canal de Patos, according the builder, Nam Yue Group.

Nam Yue was founded in Macao and is a state-owned enterprise headquartered in Guangdong. Its other partnership projects include the new campus of University of Macau in Hengqin, tidal barrier in the Inner Harbor district of Macao, Guangdong-Macao Cooperation & Development Fund, and environmental protection.