The government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has awarded contracts for two road tunnels in the Kowloon Peninsula to Bouygues Travaux Publics, together worth €1.12bn. The contracts relate to the Central Kowloon Route (CKR) and the Trunk Road T2.
The tunnels are part of a new trunk road under construction, known as Route 6. When completed, Route 6 will provide a rapid east-west link between West Kowloon and the town of Tseung Kwan O. It will also relieve congestion on existing roads in the centre of Kowloon.
The first contract concerns the construction of a 2.8km section of twin-tube tunnel linking Yau Ma Tei and Ma Tau Kok, two access tunnels and a ventilation shaft. The works, which are worth €364m, have already begun and the project commissioning is anticipated in 2025, Bouygues said today.Â
The second is a design-build-procurement contract for a 3.4km underwater road tunnel linking the former Kai Tak airport to Cha Kwo Ling, two ventilation buildings, electrical and mechanical services and additional road construction works. The contract is valued at €756m. The works will begin before the end of the year, and the project commissioning is anticipated in 2026.
Bouygues said both projects have complex geology and a dense urban environment, requiring a variety of excavation methods.
Photograph: Tunnelling contracts signed. From left, Franky Ha and Wes Jones for Bouygues Travaux Publics, and Ricky CK Lau and Michael CL Leung for Hong Kong SAR’s Civil Engineering and Development Department (Bouygues)
