Safety concerns over artificial island at mega Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge dismissed
Aerial photos show interlocking concrete blocks placed around edges of artificial island for protection appear to have drifted away
The mainland Chinese authority managing the multibillion-dollar mega bridge linking Hong Kong to Macau and Zhuhai has dismissed mounting safety concerns following the apparent collapse of a structure meant to protect an artificial island along the project’s main stretch.
The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Authority said the design was working as intended but local experts were not convinced by the explanation, warning of a catastrophic risk if an undersea tunnel connected to the island was washed away because of insufficient protection.
But the authority, comprising officials from the three governments, said the blocks, known as dolosse, were specially designed to be submerged in a “random manner”.
That was because the island was connected to a tunnel, and a concentration of dolosse would exert too much pressure on it.
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The contractor built the project in strict accordance with the design, which had been thoroughly inspected and approved as meeting the required standards, the authority said in a statement.