Transport minister defends late-night news release on Hong Kong-Macau bridge project

Transport minister Anthony Cheung Bing-leung has defended a late-night news release about the bridge linking the city with Zhuhai and Macau, saying the government did not intend to avoid media inquiries but rather wanted to clarify reports about delays.

The controversy centres on an announcement by the Highways Department about a delay in the completion of border facilities made at 11pm on Wednesday night. The government has come under fire for avoiding media inquiries over such an important issue.

READ MORE: Bridge delayed: Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau link meant to slash travel time will miss 2016 deadline

Cheung said the department had no intention to keep the media in the dark, but it saw an urgent need to quell online rumours saying the project would face further delays.

"The Highways Department was aware of the online reports, in which the bridge was said to be facing delays until 2021. Some media were following up the issue," Cheung said. "The department saw a need to clarify to the public as soon as possible, as information circulates on the internet 24 hours a day."

In the statement issued on Wednesday, the department said the construction of the Hong Kong section of the 42km bridge project would miss its 2016 deadline by a year, because of many technical challenges during the design and construction stages.