Highways Department says most of 22 huge structures have moved up to six metres, although director does not think this will cause delays to HK$117 billion bridge project
CANNIX.YAU@SCMP.COM
UPDATED : Saturday, 30 April, 2016, 12:17am
The bridge linking Hong Kong with Zhuhai and Macau and associated projects have faced several problems. Photo: Felix Wong
Officials revealed on Friday that technical problems causing the drifting of an artificial island to house facilities for the troubled Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge mega project were more serious than what the public had thought.
Of the 22 huge steel cells used to fix seawalls around the island, most had drifted three to five metres while two had shifted by more than six metres and would have to be remedied, the Highways Department said.
The maximum movement of the island was seven metres, as revealed in September.
Director of Highways Peter Lau Ka-keung, however, was confident the HK$117 billion bridge would be finished by the end of 2017. He insisted that many of the problems had been fixed and should not cause delays. “From last September to now we have not identified any major movements,” he said.
He pointed out that for 11 steel cells that had moved over four metres, the contractor had already conducted strengthening work at the relevant seawalls with its own money because it would be liable for larger shifting due to the wrong construction procedures being adopted.
“For some six steel cells which had smaller movements, we already fixed the problems with our contingency fund because we wanted to catch up with the deadline,” he said.
“But for the five remaining steel cells which have yet to be fixed, we will negotiate with the contractor to see who should bear the costs,” Lau added, declining to reveal the cost of remedial work.
There are a total of 85 steel cells around the boundary of the island. Apart from 22 more serious cases, the others also experienced minor movement, usually less than two metres.
Director of Highways Peter Lau is confident the drifting problems will not delay the project. Photo: Nora Tam
Lau explained minor movements of the island were normal due to the adoption of a non-dredging method, a more environmentally friendly form of reclamation being used in the city for the first time.
Huge steel cells are sunk into the seabed through the marine mud then filled with debris, eliminating the need for dredging. When the reclamation was completed, there should not be any movements, Lau explained.
He insisted the island did not have any safety issue as the settlement process had been completed for half of the island.
As the non-dredging reclamation is a new experience for Hong Kong, the government will appoint an independent expert to conduct a full assessment of the island’s condition for future reference. The report is expected to be completed in six months.
Professional Commons convenor Albert Lai Kwong-tak accused the Highways Department of hiding the truth as it had failed to explain why the contractor had used the wrong construction method in the first place, causing larger movements of the island. He called for an independent investigation into the matter.
The island will house the Hong Kong immigration and customs points between the main bridge and the tunnel to Tuen Mun.
Last December the government delayed the completion deadline of the Hong Kong section by a year to the end of 2017. It cited construction difficulties, including an unstable supply of materials, labour shortages and the slower-than-expected consolidation of reclamation work.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1940112/drifting-problems-artificial-island-mega-bridge-more-serious
