Following is a question by the Hon Edmund Wong and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan, in the Legislative Council today (October 8):

Question:

     Hong Kong has experienced consecutive rainstorms during the summer holidays this year, and the Hong Kong Observatory had even issued Black Rainstorm Signal on a record-breaking five occasions within less than three weeks. It is learnt that after the rainstorms, some road users have complained about the numerous potholes of different sizes on road surfaces, which seriously affected road safety. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) regarding the Black Rainstorm Signal issued on five occasions during the summer holidays this year, of the number of reports or complaints received by the Highways Department (HyD) concerning the occurrence of potholes on road surfaces after the rainstorms, with a breakdown by the 18 districts across the territory;

 (2) upon receipt of the reports or complaints mentioned in (1) by the authorities, of the minimum, maximum and average number of days required by the contractors responsible for road maintenance to complete the repair works; and

(3) as some members of the public have pointed out that roads with repaired potholes were easily damaged again by rainwater, and the repaired sections are repeatedly sustaining damage, whether the HyD has kept records of the roads concerned; whether the HyD has imposed penalties on the contractors responsible for road maintenance due to quality problems of the aforesaid repair works for potholes over the past three years, or instructed the contractors concerned to comprehensively enhance the quality of repair and maintenance works of road surfaces; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

     In consultation with the Highways Department (HyD), my reply to the various parts of the question raised by the Hon Edmund Wong is as follows:

(1) The Hong Kong Observatory issued a total of five Black Rainstorm Warning Signals between July 29 and August 14 this year. The number of reports or complaints regarding potholes received by the HyD between July 29 and August 15 is at Annex.

(2) Upon receiving complaints or reports from the public regarding damage or defects on public roads, the HyD will inspect the site as soon as possible and arrange appropriate repairs in a timely manner with regard to the actual situation. In general, the HyD will immediately arrange contractors to carry out repair works as quickly as possible for cases involving potholes. Upon receiving the reports or complaints as mentioned in part (1), the HyD has completed the relevant repair works for potholes within 48 hours in accordance with the department's performance pledge, while approximately 90 per cent of them were completed within a few hours to 24 hours.

(3) The HyD and its contractors generally record basic information on repairs of potholes, including the concerned road section, pothole size and completion time. However, the HyD does not specifically track whether the potholes are caused by deterioration of original paving material or detachment of temporary repair materials. Furthermore, road surfaces experience wear and tear from daily use and potholes may also emerge due to other unforeseen circumstances, including traffic accidents and inclement weather. Therefore, factors contributing to repeated damage of road surface cannot be generalised. The HyD does not maintain records on the frequency of repeated damage to potholes after repairs.

     The HyD attaches great importance to the quality of road surfacing works and has a strict monitoring mechanism to ensure the quality and durability of road maintenance works. If the HyD identifies deficiencies in a contractor's work which fails to meet the contractual standards, it will follow up in accordance with the contractual provisions and established mechanism. This includes issuing corresponding Default Notices to the contractor for the defects if the contractor fails to complete road maintenance works and submit the relevant reports in time and properly, recording the deficiencies identified during audit inspections in audit inspection reports to assess the contractor's performance level, deducting contract payments based on the issuance of Default Notices and the contractor's performance level, as well as issuing warning letters to contractor due to overall poor performance or individual serious incidents resulting from inadequate performance. Contractors are also required to follow up and make improvements during monthly progress meetings. The HyD will also reflect contractor's inadequate performance in their performance evaluation reports. The ratings in these reports will directly affect contractor's future chances of winning new public works contracts. If the reports are consistently rated as unsatisfactory, the contractor may even be suspended from bidding. The HyD will continue to strictly monitor the contractors' performance to ensure that all damage is properly documented in accordance with relevant regulations during routine and detailed inspections, and relevant repair works are completed in a timely manner to ensure road safety.

     Over the past three years, the HyD has taken appropriate follow-up actions in accordance with relevant contract terms whenever deficiencies in road maintenance works were identified (e.g. issuing Default Notices to contractors with unsatisfactory performance). However, as these follow-up works involve various types of maintenance deficiencies, the HyD does not maintain separate statistics specifically for the follow-up actions related to the quality of pothole repairs.

     Apart from repairing road surfaces upon identifying potholes and strictly supervising the quality of contractors' work, the HyD has been closely monitoring road surfaces which are prone to damage. Taking into account various factors, the HyD will formulate appropriate maintenance plans and schedules for these sections and other damaged road surfaces which do not pose an immediate threat to road safety. For example, more comprehensive and durable resurfacing works may be carried out when appropriate to prevent accelerated deterioration due to various conditions (including intensive rainfall). In March this year, the HyD established the Strategic Road Maintenance Committee led by the Deputy Director of Highways. Representatives from relevant departments were invited to join the Committee to advise and assist in the maintenance of public roads. The Committee will jointly compile a list of roads that require large-scale maintenance, and prioritise maintenance works based on various factors such as the extent of damage to each section of the road and the resources required for the repair works. This allows the Committee to arrange appropriate maintenance works for the roads in Hong Kong in a more strategic and organised manner.

     At the same time, the HyD is also committed to adopting innovative technologies to enhance the efficiency of road repair and maintenance services. By utilising artificial intelligence in the Road Defect Detection System (Note 1) and laser scanning for three-dimensional imaging in Road Condition Assessment System (Note 2) to assist in the detection and integration of the road defects information, the accuracy of road inspections and efficiency of repair works can be improved while facilitating long-term planning of maintenance works.

     In addition, the HyD is actively researching more durable paving materials to slow down the rate of road deterioration and reduce the frequency of maintenance work to minimise inconvenience to the public. Since April 1 this year, the HyD has fully adopted highly modified bituminous paving materials for paving at suitable locations to further improve the overall quality of road pavements in Hong Kong. This material has better anti-deformation, anti-aging and anti-fatigue performance than conventional bitumen, and can effectively enhance the durability of roads and reduce the maintenance frequency. Among them, the "Highly Modified Friction Course" is more durable than conventional materials while still retaining its ability to rapidly discharge rainwater from the road surface, thereby minimising the occurrence of potholes on road surface due to water accumulation.

     The HyD will continue to actively implement the abovementioned initiatives. In addition to strictly supervising contractors in carrying out road repair work, it will proactively implement preventive maintenance for Hong Kong's road surfaces by adopting innovative technologies and continuously monitoring and exploring the introduction of suitable new road pavement materials, so as to minimise inconveniences to the public caused by road surface damage in the future.

Note 1: This system has been incorporated into the standard operating procedures for road inspections for regular use.

Note 2: The relevant road inspection vehicles are currently conducting inspections on public roads throughout Hong Kong. The HyD will evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the system and consider implementing it in future maintenance contracts.

Ends/Wednesday, October 8, 2025
Issued at HKT 12:00

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