HK mega bridge project set to exceed budget by more than HK$1.5b

The 55-kilometer Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge is two years behind schedule with the government seeking an additional HK$1.5 billion in funding from Legco to cover budget overruns in the construction.

The mega bridge is funded by the mainland, Hong Kong, and Macau governments.

Government officials today said the construction has faced technical difficulties due to its complexity, which includes a main 18-mile sea bridge and a 4-mile underwater sea tunnel with artificial island entrances.

This has caused a longer-than-expected time for completing the project, along with the cost rising from the original HK$9.04 billion to HK$10.5 billion.

However, Transport Secretary Frank Chan Fan said he believed that in the long-term, revenue from the bridge will cover its expenses, and Hong Kong will not have to foot the bill.

He added that the revenue will also be able to cover the loans for the construction costs if things go smoothly over a 30-year-period.

Several pro-establishment lawmakers said they understood and supported the government’s funding request, with the panel chair Frankie Yick Chi-ming saying that authorities could submit their suggestions to the public works subcommittee for further discussion.