No Shenzhen detour for bridge, says works chief
Guangdong officials are wrong in their thinking for the link, says Sarah Liao
A proposed bridge linking Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macau would not have an extension going to Shenzhen, a senior official said yesterday.
Secretary for Environment, Transport and Works Sarah Liao Sau-tung said the bridge would maximise its economic benefit by linking three centres. Her remarks came after top officials in Guangdong and Shenzhen suggested last week that the bridge would generate even greater economic benefits if it included an extension to Shenzhen.
Dr Liao said a so-called double-Y-shaped structure, including Shenzhen, was not among the three possible alignments considered in a study by the Institute of Comprehensive Transportation under the National Development and Reform Commission in July last year.
That study gave priority to the single-Y-shaped bridge favoured by the Hong Kong government over two other proposals.
Guangdong Executive Vice-Governor Tang Bingquan said on Friday in Guangzhou that a double-Y bridge would bring huge economic benefits to the region.
Mr Tang's remarks sparked fears the provincial government had made a U-turn in its thinking on the project. The vice-governor was echoed by acting Shenzhen Mayor Li Hongzhong on the same day, saying there would be a huge increase in vehicles using the bridge if it was linked to Shenzhen.
The other two bridges considered in the institute study were the Lingdingyang bridge proposed by Zhuhai authorities, and a bridge running through Longxue island and Nansha, and landing at Chiwan, Shenzhen.
A nine-member taskforce comprising representatives from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau was set up last August to oversee preparations for the construction of the cross-delta bridge.
Dr Liao said the taskforce worked on the understanding that a bridge linking Lantau with Macau and Zhuhai was the best alignment. 'I don't know why there are so many discussions about the issue [of the double-Y-shaped bridge proposal] recently,' she said.
The double-Y proposal was raised two years ago by Zheng Tianxiang, a professor at the Centre for Studies of Hong Kong, Macau and the Pearl River Delta at Guangzhou-based Zhongshan University. He said recently it was an open secret some Guangdong officials were suggesting a Shenzhen link because they wanted to promote the province's interests.
The Guangdong representatives apparently did not raise the double-Y bridge proposal during two previous taskforce meetings.
The taskforce will soon commission a feasibility study on the bridge project, expected to be completed by the end of this year.
