MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1992
KAP SHUI MUN BRIDGE/MA WAN VIADUCT CONTRACT SIGNED
THE GOVERNMENT TODAY (MONDAY) SIGNED A $1.64 BILLION CONTRACT WITH KUMAGAI-MAEDA-YOKOGAWA-HITACHI JOINT VENTURE FOR THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE KAP SHUI MUN BRIDGE AND MA WAN VIADUCT ON THE LANTAU FIXED CROSSING.
THE KAP SHUI MUN BRIDGE WILL BE A CABLE STAYED BRIDGE OF 820 METRES LENGTH WITH A MAIN SPAN OF 430 METRES, CROSSING THE CHANNEL BETWEEN THE ISLANDS OF MA WAN AND LANTAU.
IT WILL BE THE WORLD'S LONGEST CABLE STAYED SPAN CARRYING BOTH ROAD AND RAIL TRAFFIC.
A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SAID THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT A CABLE STAYED DESIGN HAD BEEN USED FOR A ROAD BRIDGE IN HONG KONG.
IT IS REGARDED INTERNATIONALLY AS AN ADVANCED AND EXTREMELY COST-EFFECTIVE SOLUTION FOR SUCH A STRUCTURE.
THE KAP SHUI MUN BRIDGE AND MA WAN VIADUCT WILL LINK THE TSING MA SUSPENSION BRIDGE TO THE NORTH LANTAU EXPRESSWAY WITH COMBINED ROAD AND RAIL STRUCTURES.
THEY FORM A KEY PART OF THE AIRPORT CORE PROGRAMME, AND WILL TAKE ABOUT FOUR-AND-A-HALF YEARS TO BUILD.
THE CONTRACT PRICE OF $1.64 BILLION (IN MONEY OF THE DAY) FOR DESIGNING AND CONSTRUCTING THE BRIDGE AND VIADUCT IS WITHIN THE GOVERNMENT'S ESTIMATE, INCLUDING THE CONTRACT CONTINGENCY, OF $1.99 BILLION (MARCH 1991 PRICES).
THE FINANCE COMMITTEE APPROVED THE PROJECT ESTIMATE IN 1991 AND THE CENTRAL TENDER BOARD DECIDED ON OCTOBER 16 TO ACCEPT TENDER FROM KUMAGAI-MAEDA-YOKOGAWA-HITACHI JOINT VENTURE.
JULY THE
A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SAID IT HAD BEEN DECIDED TO AWARD THIS CONTRACT ON A DESIGN AND CONSTRUCT BASIS BECAUSE VARIOUS CABLE STAYED DESIGNS AND CONSTRUCTION METHODS WERE AVAILABLE INTERNATIONALLY.
THERE WAS ALSO SUFFICIENT TIME AVAILABLE FOR TENDERERS TO PREPARE THEIR OWN DESIGNS. THE QUICKEST AND MOST EFFECTIVE WAY то ASSESS OPTIONS WAS TO CALL FOR DESIGN AND CONSTRUCT TENDERS.
CABLE STAYED BRIDGES OFFER SUBSTANTIAL ECONOMIES IN THE USE OF MATERIALS FOR SPANS BETWEEN ABOUT 150 AND 500 METRES, COMPARED WITH SUSPENSION BRIDGES WHICH ARE NORMALLY ONLY CONSIDERED FOR SPANS ABOVE 500 METRES.
"ON A DESIGN AND CONSTRUCT CONTRACT, THE TENDERERS COMPETE BY PRODUCING DESIGNS THAT COMBINE THEIR SPECIALIST SKILLS AND THEIR SOURCES OF MATERIALS WITH THE LOWEST VIABLE PRICE," THE SPOKESMAN SAID.
/"KUMAGAI-MAEDA-YOKOGAWA-HITACHI