Transport officials say city cannot expect to dictate when delayed project can open
LAI YING-KITyingkit.lai@scmp.com
PUBLISHED : Saturday, 28 November, 2015, 12:01am
UPDATED : Saturday, 28 November, 2015, 12:01am
The completion date for the bridge to Zhuhai and Macau is becoming increasingly hazy. Photo: Felix Wong
Hong Kong alone cannot determine when a new cross-border bridge will open and must commit to a deadline along with the mainland and Macau, transport officials in the city said yesterday.
Under-secretary for transport and housing Yau Shing-mu said initial talks with Zhuhai and Macau had begun in September but no exact opening date had yet been decided.
READ MORE: Engineer casts doubt on new target to finish Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai bridge
He said the government would seek to meet with mainland and Macau officials in December to discuss the matter.
"We will need an agreement among the three governments," he said yesterday.
Yau and Director of Highways Lau Ka-keung also gave assurances the city would be able to meet its new target of completing the Hong Kong section of the 42km Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge by the end of 2017.
At a Legislative Council meeting next Tuesday, the government will seek approval for an extra HK$5.46 billion to build structures on an artificial island off Hong Kong International Airport, on top of the HK$30.4 billion it has already secured.
It was also the second time in two days transport officials had had to explain that they had not covered up a delay on the previous completion target of 2016.
Yau said transport secretary Anthony Cheung Bing-leung had reported to the Legco transport panel in January that the 2016 deadline could not be met.
The director of highways said one cause for delay - a shortage of rocks from Guangdong, used for building seawalls - had been dealt with by using precast concrete pieces instead.
Lau said main works, including roads and a visitor checkpoint building, would be completed and ready for use by late 2017.
The requested HK$5.46 billion would cover the remaining works, including settling claims for delays from contractors, of which there are now 30 cases involving HK$1.2 billion.
"We don't think we will need to increase this budget," he added, when asked about the possible need for future funding.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1884333/city-must-commit-hong-kong-zhuhai-macau-bridge-deadline-say
