What bridge professionals need to know about Hong Kong

What bridge professionals need to know about Hong Kong

An overview of the Hong Kong bridge market.

Possibly one of the most prestigious projects to come out of Hong Kong in its history is the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB). This revolutionary project will combine Hong Kong and Macau, the two Special Administrative Regions in China. Ideas for the project began way back in 1983 when a local business tycoon suggested the idea of a bridge connecting the two regions. However, it was not until twenty years later that the idea was fully backed by Hong Kong and China. In 2003, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Advance Work Coordination Group was finally established.

The HZMB situated at the waters of Lingdingyang of Pearl River Estuary is a large sea crossing that will link Hong Kong (HKSAR), Zhuhai City of Guangdong Province and Macau (MSAR). The bridge will be used primarily to meet the demand of passenger and freight land transport in the three regions to establish a new land transport link between the east and west coasts of Pearl River, and to enhance the economic and sustainable development in Hong Kong, Macau and Zhuhai.

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge is 29.6km long and is a dual three lane carriage way in the form of a bridge-cum-tunnel structure as it comprises a 6.7km tunnel. The project also requires the construction of two artificial islands for the tunnel landing to the west of Hong Kong. The team will also be performing civil and structural works, drainage, traffic control, environmental mitigation, electrical and mechanical works and producing a surveillance system.

The main aim of the bridge is to further economic development of the three areas and to reduce the time and cost it takes to get from one and the other. A survey also showed that traffic jams would be seriously reduced (a plus for Hong Kong in particular). But the main gain is the fact that the Western PRD (Pearl River Delta) will only be three hours away from Hong Kong and well within commuting distance. This will attract external investment to the PRD to help upgrade its industry structure. It will also provide an increase in jobs for Hong Kong Nationals to work in mainland China, creating more jobs for UK expatriates in the luxurious region of Hong Kong.

Plans and designs were finalised and construction began in quarter four of 2009 and the project is estimated to be completed by 2016. If you would like to be considered for a role in Hong Kong and have suitable Bridge and Marine experience please send down your CV in a word format to overseas@maximrecruitment.co.uk