Bridge price goes up to protect dolphins

The construction of a section of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, which will run through the Chinese white dolphin nature reserve in the Pearl River estuary, has received the go-ahead from Mainland authorities to proceed conditionally during the breeding season, the China Daily has reported. However, amendments were proposed regarding the design of the bridge, the tunnel, the artificial island and the method of construction to protect the endangered species. The amendments, which still need to be approved by the central government, aim to ensure the completion of the bridge by the end of 2016. They will further increase its cost by 3.67 billion yuan on the 72.6 billion yuan project. The Chinese white dolphin, an endangered species, falls under the highest class of protection in China.