HZMB to build record 6.7km immersed tube tunnel

A joint venture group has been awarded the contract for construction of the tunnel and artificial islands of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB), formerly known as the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge North Lantau Highway Connection.

The contracting group consists of Aecom, Shanghai Urban Construction, China Highway Planning and Design Institute, Shanghai Tunnel Engineering & Rail Transit Design and Research Institute and CCCC Fourth Harbour Engineering Investigation and Design Institute.

The contract terms required the construction of a 6.7km immersed tube tunnel as a portion of the total 29.6km of the HZMB. This will be the longest immersed tube tunnel in the world, surpassing the Oresund tunnel, which had a length of 4km when completed in 2000. The contracting group hopes to begin construction this year with a view to completion by 2016 when the whole project is due.

The preliminary design and site investigation was by a JV led by China Highway Planning and Design Institute Consultants with COWI, Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong, Shanghai Tunnel Engineering & Rail Transit Design & Research Institute, and CCCC First Harbour Consultants.

Technical difficulties have been assessed as ‘world-class’ and include long distance ventilation with safety design, prefabrication and marine transportation of huge tube sections and joining of the sections under high water pressure.