Li Jiyu, a site manager at China State Construction Engineering (Hong Kong), brief journalists on different aspects of engineering excellence of the Central-Wan Chai Bypass and Island Eastern Corridor Link project in Hong Kong, on Oct 29, 2021. (CALVIN NG /CHINA DAILY)
Construction of the Central-Wan Chai Bypass, a 4.5-kilometer link connecting the western and eastern parts of Hong Kong Island, overcame numerous engineering roadblocks, and the experience and construction methods gained from the project will pave the way for the development of Hong Kong's architectural engineering sector, the site manager in charge of the project said on Friday.
"The super difficult project is a representative infrastructure of the city that incorporates innovation and technology," Li Jiyu, a site manager at China State Construction Engineering (Hong Kong), said in a media tour of the link.
The super difficult project is a representative infrastructure of the city that incorporates innovation and technology
Li Jiyu, a site manager at China State Construction Engineering (Hong Kong)
The tour to the bypass was the last of the eight major infrastructure projects in the city made by media representatives from the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong.
Li's company undertook the construction of the second tunnel link on Hong Kong Island.
The pair of three-lane trunk roads, comprising a flyover and a 3.7-kilometer tunnel, was built to relieve traffic congestion between Sheung Wan and North Point, allowing better access to Hong Kong's core financial and business districts.
After the link opened on Jan 20, 2019, the journey between the western and the eastern parts of Hong Kong Island was reduced from 30 minutes to five minutes.
According to the Transport Department's Annual Transport Digest, the average daily number of vehicles using these roads fell from 47,541 in 2019 to 42,523 in 2020.
The challenges posed by the project meant that the link needed to cross sensitive areas within key infrastructure, such as the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and the Cross-Harbour Tunnel, one of the busiest tunnels connecting Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, Li said.
The design and construction requirements of the undersea tunnel were extremely high, Li said. "Therefore, we adopted new technology and some innovative construction methods to solve the issues," he said.
The bypass project adopted nine new technologies in areas such as concrete making, iron structure, and scaffolding. The construction methods using these innovations and patents were recognized with 40 awards, including a 2016 New Civil Engineering Tonnelling Award from the Institution of Civil Engineers; and China's Tien-yow Jeme Civil Engineering Prize - the nation's top innovation and technology award for construction projects.
In addition to inno-tech, the project also shows the construction teams' pursuit of excellence.
Chan Wai-hung, vice-president of CSHK, cited the impact on the Cross-Harbour Tunnel as an example.
Chan said that the site teams were meticulous and made every effort to prevent the undersea construction from affecting the Cross-Harbour Tunnel's anchors under the sea, which were planted to help stabilize the tunnel. Otherwise, it could have led to traffic paralysis, he added.
In the process of excavating the undersea tunnel, the site teams cleared 390,000 cubic meters of silt from the sea, which helped to purify the surrounding environment along the seashore, Li said.
