Drifting problems at artificial island for mega bridge more serious than thought, Hong Kong officials say
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
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.
