Contractors working on Hong Kong’s mega bridge demand billions of dollars more

Contractors working on the bridge project connecting Hong Kong to Zhuhai and Macau have slapped the Hong Kong government with claims totalling HK$8.8 billion, plunging the project deeper into controversy.

The disclosure was made in a document the Transport and Housing Bureau and the Highways Department submitted to lawmakers on the transport panel on Wednesday.

As of May, the document said, the department received claims of HK$2.8 billion for the Tuen Mun-Chek Kap Kok Link; HK$2.6 billion for the Hong Kong Link Road; and HK$3.4 billion for Hong Kong boundary crossing facilities. The three are components of the huge infrastructure project.

“[The] consulting engineers engaged by the [department] will review the reasonableness of these claims in the light of the contracts, the grounds of the claims and related documents ... submitted by the contractors, and seek the [department’s] comments in respect of the assessments,” the document said.

The department would “strenuously examine” each claim with a view to safeguarding the interest of the government and ensuring the proper use of public funds, the document said.

It did not state the contractors’ grounds for their demands, but such claims are usually filed when construction costs rise due to delays.