HK$19.4 billion more? Hong Kong airport authority ups estimate for building third runway over 50pc
Yesterday’s report to the city’s legislature says land reclamation would be complex due to disused contaminated mud pits
The cost of land formation and marine works in the airport's third runway project is estimated to soar over 52 per cent to HK$56.2 billion, according to a paper submitted yesterday to the Legislative Council.
The Airport Authority itemised a breakdown of its total estimated construction cost for the project in a paper submitted to Legco on Thursday.
The ‘money-of-the-day’ estimates were based on the government's price adjustment factors set out in March this year.
The authority said reclamation works would require meticulous care to form 650 hectares of land north of the existing airport island.
It said this was because about 40 per cent of the reclaimed area was underlain by disused contaminated mud pits within a layer of marine mud. It said the contaminated mud was highly disturbed and was softer than its surrounding mud.
A combination of precise techniques and procedures would be adopted to strengthen the soft marine mud to be left in place. However, at the same time, the eventual land would have to be strong enough to be stable, the authority said in the document.
It also revealed that the cost of expanding the airport's existing terminal two as part of the third runway project would increase to HK$16.5 billion, up from the previous estimate of HK$9.5 billion projected in 2010.
The authority said terminal two, at present only handling departures, would be expanded to serve departure, arrival and transfer operations to provide full-fledged terminal services.
The expansion would involve modifying the terminal two building and adding two annex buildings, each to the north and south side of the terminal, to house coach staging areas, arrival pick-up, loading and unloading bays as well as car parking space.