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"So let me pay tribute to all those involved in this project
from the earliest days on the drawing board through to its completion today. Architects, consultants, contractors, financiers, civil servants. You have done a marvellous job."
She also expressed admiration of the completion of the project on time and within budget, observing that, "from my own experience in government, I know that things do not invariably turn out like that except in Hong Kong."
Baroness Thatcher said: "With the opening of the bridge today, Hong Kong is establishing new ties with the other great bridge cities of the world, from San Francisco to Sydney. As with those cities, I have no doubt that it is only a matter of time before this bridge imprints itself firmly in people's minds as the image of Hong Kong."
Welcoming Baroness Thatcher, the Governor, the Rt Hon Christopher Patten, said: "Your commitment to Hong Kong and to the values that the people of Hong Kong hold dear is known and honoured, and we are happy that you can be with us for this celebration."
Mr Patten said the Lantau Link, a plan on paper when he arrived five years ago, stood as a declaration of what Hong Kong was capable of achieving,
He said: "I would like to pay tribute to the men and women who had the vision for this project; to the careful work of the planners who have set its place in the growing structure of the city; to the art and inspiration of the designers and engineers who have given such grace and beauty to these triumphs over mass and space; to the tireless work of all those thousands whose hands and labour have created this marvel.
"As with so much in Hong Kong, many people of many lands have joined the people of this city in this work, so it is a pleasure to welcome everyone who has come from near and far to join us at this time. The Lantau Link will help to keep Hong Kong in touch with the world and will stand as a testament to the benefits that come from seeing through great and complex works together."
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The Lantau Link, a strategic part of the road and rail connection between Hong Kong Island and the new airport at Chek Lap Kok, is formed by two spectacular bridges: the Tsing Ma suspension bridge and the Kap Shui Mun cable-stayed bridge.
Both the 1,377 metre main span Tsing Ma Bridge and the 430 metre main span Kap Shui Mun Bridge carry a six-lane highway on their top deck and twin rail tracks plus two road lanes on their sheltered lower deck, making them the largest bridges of their kind in the world.
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