Preliminary work has begun on the western extension of the Shenzhen–Zhuhai Link, according to a recent announcement from the Guangzhou Public Resources Trading Center. The project marks a major step toward cutting Shenzhen–Zhuhai travel time to just 30 minutes.

The extension — part of the Shen'nan Expressway section connecting Zhuhai and Maoming — will start in Zhuhai's High-Tech Zone and run through Zhongshan, Jiangmen, Yangjiang and Maoming before ending in Pingding Town, Huazhou, near the Guangdong–Guangxi border. The planned route spans about 358.8 kilometers with a total investment of 84.4 billion yuan.

As an integral component of China's national expressway network, the new corridor will link multiple cities along the west bank of the Pearl River estuary, forming a major economic artery for western Guangdong once completed.

Positioned between the Shenzhen–Zhongshan Link and the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge, the new passage will fill a key gap in the Pearl River Delta's cross-estuary transport network. Upon completion, it will reduce the current 2–3 hour road journey between Shenzhen and Zhuhai to roughly half an hour.