Travel to partially resume for Hong Kong vehicles heading to mainland China at Man Kam To border crossing, after closure due to rare land subsidence
- Shenzhen authorities announce reopening of checkpoint for inbound passenger vehicles from Wednesday, but cargo clearance services still pending
- Northbound travel at crossing was suspended from July 10 because of ground sinking along three lanes of traffic
The Office of Port of Entry and Exit of the Shenzhen Municipal Government made the announcement on Tuesday, after traffic from Hong Kong ground to a halt for more than a week.
“After repair efforts and comprehensive safety assessment by professional bodies, the clearance services for inbound passenger vehicles, including private cars and coaches, will resume from 7am on July 19,” the office said. “The resumption of the cargo clearance services will be announced separately.”
Man Kam To border crossing damage may take months to repair: Hong Kong leader
Northbound travel at the crossing was suspended from July 10 because of the ground sinking along three lanes of traffic at about 6pm the day before.
Photos circulated online showed cracked roads and debris spread across the crossing’s northbound lanes. The surface in front of three booths had also sunk, which caused the roofs of two to break.
As southbound travel was not affected, officials had said the closure would have little effect on the city’s fresh food supply from the mainland.
Hong Kong’s leader John Lee Ka-chiu earlier said the repair work was expected to take at least a month.
The Man Kam To control point is the major land port for good vehicles carrying fresh food and livestock from the mainland, despite only accounting for 20 per cent of all cross-border logistics in the city.
Truck drivers face delays after Hong Kong, mainland Chinese crossing partly closed
About 1,900 goods vehicles used the port every day, according to figures in June.
The daily average throughput of passenger vehicles and cross-boundary private cars were about 4,000 and 220 respectively, the least among all land ports.
Goods trucks and cross-border coaches switched to using the Heung Yuen Wai crossing, a 20-minute drive from the Man Kam To checkpoint, during the disruption.
The change meant an extra hour of travel, cross-border transport industry representatives said.
