Hong Kong completes 12km tunnel and viaduct link to mega bridge
A 12km-long tunnel and viaduct link to the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge will be completely connected this month, Hong Kong’s Highways Department has announced.
One of the two design and construction contracts is being undertaken by China State Construction Engineering and the other by Dragages-China Harbour-VSL Joint Venture. The two contracts have a combined value of HK$21.7bn (£2.2bn). Arup is the resident engineer for both sections.
The casting of all box segments in the Hong Kong Link Road’s Scenic Hill Tunnel has been completed, with the last part of the segment being jacked to its final position underneath the Airport Express Line.
The link road connects the main bridge on the mainland and the Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities.
Building the link road in close proximity to Hong Kong International Airport has brought difficulties for the department during planning and construction. Airport-related height restrictions meant that viaduct construction in areas adjacent to the south runway had to be carried out at night when the runway was closed. Height detection equipment was installed to ensure construction was done within the height limits.
For the construction of the Scenic Hill Tunnel, four construction methods were adopted to tackle complex ground conditions and topographical constraints. They included the drill and blast method through the Scenic Hill, and the mined tunnel method underneath the Airport Road section.
The Hong Kong section of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge will be ready for commissioning by the end of this year, said the department.