Are Hong Kong road users in danger? Shoddy excavation work on the rise, sparking ‘safety concerns’
Audit Commission finds worrying increase in number of cases with subpar standard of work, slow repairs and project extension requests
Cases of shoddy excavation work on Hong Kong roads have been on the rise recently, resulting in the Highways Department refusing to reopen the affected sections to users, the government’s spending watchdog said on Wednesday.
The Audit Commission found that last year, there were at least 6,191 completion notices – documents certifying that contractors had wrapped up works according to requirements – that the Highways Department refused to endorse.
In 2016, there were 7,198 rejected completion notices – up from 4,124 in 2013 and 5,294 two years earlier – for excavation works to maintain and repair the city’s 2,107km of roads and underground network of public utilities infrastructure.
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The commission said the numbers showed “an increase in substandard … works carried out by contractors.”
Road works have been highlighted as a major cause of traffic congestion in the city. The commission produced an 83-page report laying out the causes of protracted road works and what the government could do to rectify the situation.
The report was the fourth of an eight-chapter evaluation of how the government had performed in providing a variety of public services. The commission issues such an evaluation every six months.
It also zoomed in on the painfully slow pace of rectification works, which prevented the “reinstatement” of affected road sections.