Hong Kong hooks HZM Bridge up to Lantau Island

The 12-km Hong Kong Link Road connecting Chek Lap Kok and Lantau islands to the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) has been completed. The Hong Kong SAR Highways Department stated on May 18 that it had taken five years of painstaking efforts to build the dual three-lane carriageway.

The link connects the main bridge in waters of the Chinese mainland with Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities. It consists of a 9.4-km viaduct, 1-km tunnel through Scenic Hill, and 1.6-km ground road by land reclamation along the east coast of the Chek Lap Kok International Airport.

The culmination came with placement of the final tunnel box segment underneath the Airport Express Line of the Hong Kong MTR system on May 16. The segment is 14.5 m long, 23.5 m wide and 14 m high. It weighs 5 kilotons -- as heavy as 27 Boeing 747 airliners combined.

Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge [Photo Courtesy Zhuhai Daily]

Precise computer control ensured synchronous propulsion of all the jack units, preceding which an entire year was spent on soil reinforcement.

It was reportedly the most difficult part of the tunnel section, and the construction method had never been used before on similar projects in Hong Kong.

Another crucial construction accomplishment was the viaduct section, which was completed in March. Challenges included nighttime work so as not to disrupt normal operation of the nearby south airfield runway.

Road surfacing and facilities installation are said to be progressing as scheduled. Port projects including the passenger inspection and ancillary buildings, bridge, vehicle clearance square, and related facilities are also shaping up. The Highways Department is confident that the Hong Kong end of the three-city project will be in operation by year-end.