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Felix Chan

Lawmaker disappointed plan  won't be simpler

The troubled Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge project will have three separate border control systems, a mainland official revealed yesterday.

The decision deals a blow to Hong Kong lawmakers who had hoped there would be just one border checkpoint on the 29km bridge.

Democratic Party lawmaker Andrew Cheng Kar-foo,  who chairs the Legislative Council transport panel, said he was disappointed by the news that there would be three border control checkpoints.

'All the political parties in Legco want the border crossing procedures to be as simplified as possible,' he said.

However, mainland officials also said the bridge would have its price tag slashed by 40 per cent under a new investment plan, a mainland official revealed yesterday.

Tang Bingquan , the executive vice-governor of Guangdong,  announced at a meeting with Hong Kong and Macau delegates of the Guangdong Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference  in Guangzhou that it was opting for the three-checkpoint option for the delta bridge.

'After joint efforts from three sides, numerous rounds of negotiation as well as experts' examination and discussion, we have finally decided to use the 'three places, three checkpoints' option'.

Chen Shanru ,  director of the Guangdong Development and Reform Commission,  said the three sides would need at least six months  to come up with a  bridge design after all  other problems associated with the project had been resolved.

'We still need to decide the locations of the checkpoints before we can start designing the bridge,' he said.

He refused to say when construction will begin, but has not ruled out that it might start this year.

Hong Kong delegate Tse Long,  who is also the vice-chairman of the Container Transportation Employees General Union,  said it would make administrative sense to have separate border control facilities.

'Co-location would involve problematic issues of cross-jurisdiction,'  he said.

Mr Tang also disclosed that the three governments  would pay for construction of the respective customs facilities and for the approaches to the bridge from their cities.  This was expected to reduce the cost of building the bridge from HK$50 billion to HK$30 billion, Mr Tse quoted Mr Tang as saying.

Hong Kong's secretary for environment, transport and works,  Sarah Liao Sau-tung,  would not reveal more details about preparations for the  bridge.

Dr Liao would only say that all the parties were working intensively to put the plan's details  into place as soon as possible.

'We have been conducting non-stop feasibility studies. There are  20 topics we have been studying, such as hydraulics, wind force, environmental protection. Of course, it is our aim to build it quickly because everyone wants to have the bridge in place as soon as possible.'

The latest development follows repeated delays to the bridge that led to direct intervention by the central government last month.

It set up a special taskforce headed by National Development and Reform Commission  vice-chairman Zhang Xiaoqiang  to co- ordinate the project.



Delta bridge will get three border control systems