No repairs needed for island part of mega bridge, Hong Kong highways chief says amid safety row

Meeting with mainland authority ends with city’s government saying it is satisfied with the design, which can withstand mega waves that come ‘once in 300 years’

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An aerial photo of the artificial island which the Highways Department claims was taken on August 14, 2017, days before Typhoon Hato hit the region. The picture shows the random placement of concrete blocks as captured in recent drone photos. Photo: Handout

Published: 9:45pm, 9 Apr 2018Updated: 10:29am, 10 Apr 2018

The sea wall of an artificial island that makes up part of the cross-sea bridge infrastructure linking Hong Kong to Zhuhai and Macau is structurally sound and safe, the Hong Kong government confirmed on Monday after a site review, quashing concerns that it was drifting apart.

Director of Highways Daniel Chung Kum-wah stressed that the structure completed last year had not deviated from its final design, and therefore no repairs were needed.

Chung, who paid a site visit the day before, said he was also satisfied with the explanation by mainland officials who head the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Authority, the body responsible for building and managing the multibillion-dollar project.

Concerns surfaced earlier this month after aerial photos taken by a drone hobbyist appeared to show that interlocking concrete blocks placed around the edges of the artificial island – which connects the Hong Kong bridge section to a tunnel in mainland waters – had drifted away.

The blocks, known as dolosse, weigh five to eight tonnes each and are meant to absorb the impact of strong waves and protect the island and tunnel.

The authority has since issued two statements to dismiss safety concerns, arguing the blocks were “randomly” positioned in the waters by design to maximise efficiency.

Image released by the Highways Department showing the structures around the artificial island. Photo: Handout