Hong Kong’s Highways Department sets up task force to investigate snapped cable on Shenzhen Bay Bridge
- Experts say rusting issues thought to be behind broken cable should have been spotted during routine checks
- Two lanes out of three on the Hong Kong-bound carriageway have been closed for at least three weeks for repairs
The Highways Department has set up a task force to investigate what caused a cable on the cross-border Shenzhen Bay Bridge to snap.
Lawmakers and experts said the rare incident raises questions about the performance of maintenance on the bridge, noting that any rusting problems should have been spotted during routine checks for the structure, which has been operation for only 12 years.
“Due to this incident, the department has entrusted an assistant director with leading a task force to investigate the cause of the snapped steel cable. Relevant experts will be invited to participate in the investigation, which is expected to be completed within three months,” the Highways Department said on Thursday.
The department said maintenance and management of the bridge was undertaken by China Road and Bridge Corporation, a subsidiary of state-owned China Communications Construction Company, under a six-year HK$490 million (US$62.4 million) contract from 2016 to 2022.
As part of the contractual requirements, the contractor hired Aecom Asia Co. Ltd to conduct structural inspections on the bridge, including routine checks every six months, an overall check every two years and a thorough check every five to 10 years by two professional engineers and two inspectors. The department said the last thorough inspection was carried out in 2013.