Government Seeks Extra HK$1.5bn For Mega Bridge

The government is seeking an additional HK$1.5 billion in funding from Legco to cover budget overruns in the construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge.

The 55-kilometre bridge and tunnel connecting the three cities opened in 2018 and is funded by the mainland, Hong Kong, and Macau governments.

At a Legco transport panel meeting, officials said the estimated construction costs for the main bridge, which Hong Kong is responsible for, have risen from the original HK$9.04 billion to HK$10.5 billion.

Officials said the technical difficulties they faced in building such a massive and complex bridge were greater than expected, and construction costs have risen due to the longer-than-expected time needed for completing the project.

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

The Secretary for Transport and Housing, Frank Chan, said the cross-border flow of vehicles and people have fallen significantly during the pandemic, but he said the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Authority will cut costs and seek new money sources in future, such as removing the current quota on Hong Kong vehicles.

Chan 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.

“The costs borne by the three governments will not change. So if there is a financial need in future, it will be handled by taking out syndicated loans or other methods,” he added.