Four engineering consultants , Ove Arup & Partners, Black & Veatch, Maunsell Consultants Asia and Mott Connell, are bidding for a contract to carry out the preliminary detailed design of a US$278M, 10.3km drainage tunnel on Hong Kong Island.
The firms were shortlisted by the Drainage Services Department (DSD). The tunnel is the first of three drainage tunnels costing a total of US$531M that are intended to relieve flooding on Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon district. The DSD plans to award the contract by December when work will start.
The successful consultant will prepare detailed designs that will be about 35% complete. The DSD will then shortlist and invite contractors to bid for a design and construct contract. The tunnel, which will vary between 6.25m and 7.25m in diameter, will connect Tai Hang with an area near Telegraph Bay on the western side of Hong Kong Island. The scheme also includes adits totalling 7.5km and 35 intake shafts. Construction is set to start in 2007 with completion in 2011.
The DSD is also evaluating submissions after inviting consultants to submit expressions of interest by 20 September for the second scheme, a US$137M project for two tunnels in Kowloon. One involves a 3.7km long 4.9m diameter connection between the west Kowloon reclamation and the Lai Chi Kok and Sham Shui Po districts of Kowloon, while the other involves a 2.8km, 3m diameter transfer tunnel connecting several reservoirs in Kowloon.
The Lai Chi Kok tunnel will have 10 shafts, about 350m of adits and an outfall structure. Consultants believed to have been asked to express interest include Atkins China; Charles Haswell and Partners; Halcrow China; Hyder Consulting; Maunsell Consultants Asia; Meinhardt Mouchel ; Mott Connell; MWH Hong Kong; Parsons Brinckerhoff (Asia) and Scott Wilson.
Consultants were also asked to apply by 25 October, as T&TI went to press, to express interest in the third scheme, a US$116M, 5.1km, 6.5m diameter drainage tunnel in the Tsuen Wan area of Kowloon.
About four consultants are expected to be shortlisted to tender for the Kowloon tunnels and the work will be similar to that for the Hong Kong tunnels. This includes the preparation of preliminary detailed designs, selection of design and build contractors and subsequently inviting tenders and supervising construction.
Completion of all three projects is due in 2011.
