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The Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Corridor (HK-SWC), the fourth vehicular boundary crossing, will not only be a landmark in the Pearl River Delta, but also a symbol of close collaboration and partnership between the two areas.
The Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works, Dr Sarah Liao today (August 25) signed the HK$2.188-billion contract with Gammon-Skanska-MBEC Joint Venture at a contract signing ceremony for the construction of the 3.2-kilometre Hong Kong Section of the SWC.
Long before reaching the milestone of contract signing, both the Hong Kong and Shenzhen sides have spent enormous efforts in the design of the Corridor and in addressing environmental concerns of the project.
Main purposes of the HK-SWC
* to alleviate the nearly saturated existing vehicular boundary crossings at Lok Ma Chau, Man Kam To and Sha Tau Kok;
* enhance trade between the HKSAR and South China;
* facilitate further economic development particularly in the areas of finance, logistics and tourism; and
* strengthen the position of the HKSAR as a hub of the Pearl River Delta area.
Design of HK-SWC
Cooperation began when consultants from both sides jointly investigated bridge schemes during the conceptual design stage. Various options for the main spans across the northern and southern navigation channels and the non-navigation typical spans had been examined. A Joint Assessment Panel comprising experts from Hong Kong and the Mainland examined various options on December 3, 2001. The scheme as recommended by the Joint Assessment Panel was endorsed at the HK-SWC Joint Working Group co-chaired by both governments in January 2002.
The selected scheme consists of:
* Single tower cable-stayed bridge for the Southern and Northern navigation channels; and
* box girder with inclined web for the non-navigation typical spans (approach viaducts).
The towers for the two cable-stayed bridges are inclined towards each other, pulling their respective approach viaduct towards the boundary. This design symbolises the desire of the -two regions to build a synergistic relationship for greater prosperity. These two bridges will span over the future navigation channels for marine access to inner Deep Bay and Shenzhen River. Wind tunnel tests were carried out during the detailed design stage to provide an experimental verification of the aerodynamic performance of the cable-stayed bridge.
The approach viaducts of the HK-SWC are in the form of twin trapezoidal concrete box girders with twin piers generally at 75 metres spacing.
The two steel girder cable-stayed bridges and the approach viaducts of the HK-SWC will become a prominent landmark in Deep Bay.
Great concern on environment protection
Extensive consultations with the green groups were carried out and their views were taken into account most seriously. The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report for the Hong Kong Section of the HK-SWC was endorsed by the Advisory Council on the Environment in October 2002 and approved by the Director of Environmental Protection in November 2002. The environmental mitigation measures as recommended in the EIA Report will be fully implemented.
The Deep Bay area where the HK-SWC will span across is an ecologically important area with the extensive inter-tidal mudflats in close proximity to the Mai Po Nature Reserve Area. These mudflats are the main feeding grounds for the migratory birds visiting Hong Kong every year.
Due regard has been paid during the design stage of the HK-SWC to ensure that the required environmental standards would be adhered to in order to preserve the ecological value in the area. In order to ensure that the water quality and the environment in the Deep Bay area will be maintained during construction of HK-SWC, mitigation measures, including the use of closed grab dredgers for sediment dredging and installation of cofferdam for the foundation construction, will be adopted. In addition, the cofferdam will be surrounded by silt curtain to further protect the Deep Bay from any possible contamination.
Temporary bridge and working platform will also be erected above the mudflat to avoid impact to the environment along the coast. Mangrove will be replanted under the HK-SWC upon completion of its construction.
In addition, a water channel to connect the Gei Wais in Mai Po to Deep Bay is being dredged to abate the impact of degrading sedimentation situation on Mai Po Nature Reserve. Upon completion, the channel will improve the water exchange capacity to the Gei Wais and enhance the feeding ground for birds in Mai Po.
Joint environmental monitoring and audit by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and Shenzhen Governments will be implemented to ensure that the required environment standard will be maintained throughout the implementation of the project.
The construction cost of the civil works of the Hong Kong Section is about HK$2.2 billion. It is estimated that the net economic benefit of the SWC would be HK$175 billion over the 20 year planning horizon from 2000 to 2020. Construction works of the Hong Kong Section, together with the local road connecting the HK-SWC with the existing road network in Hong Kong, the Deep Bay Link are targeted for completion by end 2005.
The five-kilometre HK-SWC is a dual three-lane expressway spanning across Deep Bay on elevated structures, linking the road networks in Hong Kong via the Deep Bay Link at Ngau Hom Shek and in Shenzhen at Shekou. 3.2 kilometres of the corridor stands in HKSAR waters. The remaining 1.8 km will be built by the Shenzhen government.
End/Monday, August 25, 2003
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