HK gov't pays high attention to bridge closure incident

A spokesman of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government Saturday said that the government has attached great importance to a collision incident at Kap Shui Mun Bridge at Friday night which led to a two-hour emergency closure of the bridge and suspension of the Airport Railway services.

Tsing Ma Bridge and Kap Shui Mun Bridge, the only land route connecting Lantau Island where the airport located in and other parts of Hong Kong, were temporarily closed after a vessel was suspected to have hit the Kap Shui Mun Bridge at Friday night.

Director of Highways Peter Lau told the media that a vessel with a tall structure was suspected to have hit the bridge at about 8 p.m., triggering motion sensors.

He said, Highways Department officers conducted an immediate inspection and decided to re-open the bridge after confirming that there was no structural damage. They will conduct further inspections.

Deputy Commissioner for Transport Law Fung Ping said emergency measures were taken, including releasing instant traffic news and asking ferry operators to enhance services.

Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying and the secretary for transport and housing convened an inter-departmental meeting Saturday morning to learn more about the latest situation from the representatives of the Transport Department (TD), the Highways Department and the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AA), and discuss the follow-up actions.

"We have now identified the tug boat and also the barge. The vessels are now being inspected and the people concerned have given statements," Leung told the media after the meeting.

He said, there is an alternative route which will be in about three years. "This is Tuen Mun-Chek Lap Kok Link, which is going to be the longest undersea tunnel in Hong Kong. "

The new tunnel will be 9.1 kilometer long, which is about four times the length of Tsing Ma Bridge. It will provide an important link and thus an alternative route to and from the airport if something similar to the incident last night occurs again after the completion of this link in about three years, he added.

According to the government spokesman, follow-up actions will be taken.

The Highways Department will carry out more detailed inspection to ensure the safety of the bridge; the Transport and Housing Bureau, the TD, the AA, the MTR Corporation Limited and relevant government departments will draw experience from the incident to further improve emergency response arrangements; and the Marine Department and the Police will investigate into the incident and ascertain the relevant liabilities. Endit