Hong Kong section of mega-bridge set to open
Three sections of a key 12km highway, which will eventually lead to the bridge, will be fully connected this month
The Hong Kong section of the multibillion-dollar bridge linking the city to Zhuhai and Macau is on track for completion by the end of this year, as three sections of a key 12km highway, which will eventually lead to the bridge, will be fully connected this month.
The Highways Department issued a statement on Thursday saying the connection would mark a milestone for the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge project, which has been plagued by delays, cost overruns and industrial accidents.
Two workers were killed and three others injured last month when a platform they were dismantling underneath a viaduct outside Tai O suddenly collapsed.
Since construction began in 2011, 10 workers have died and more than 600 have been injured while building the bridge, in a total of 275 incidents.
Albert Lee Wai-bun, the Highways Department’s project manager for the Hong Kong section, told lawmakers at a Legislative Council panel meeting on Wednesday that the government would not put deadlines ahead of workers’ safety. “We’ll never sacrifice construction safety for catching up on the deadline,” he said.
