17 September 2019
Two Chinese mega projects have been shortlisted by the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association (ITA) for its upcoming ITA Tunnelling and Underground Space Awards in major project of the year category, it was announced on Tuesday.

The €2.36 billion ($2.6 billion) Tuen Mun Chek Lap Kok Link in Hong Kong and €943.7 million ($1.04 billion) Wuhan Sanyang Road Yangtze River Tunnel in Wuhan were among the four projects shortlisted in the over €500 million ($551 million) category, the ITA said in a press statement.

The statement said the Tuen Mun Chek Lap Kok Link will provide an alternative access route to the Hong Kong International Airport, which up to now has only been accessible via the Tsing Ma Bridge. The works comprise a 4.5-kilometre (km) twin-tube sub-sea tunnel with 57 cross passages as well as a 500-metre cut and cover section.

Dragages Hong Kong and Bouygues Travaux Publics are the contractors for project, which is owned by Highways Department, Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, according to the statement. Engineering firms working on the project include AECOM, DBJV, ARUP, Atkins and Golder.

The second project from China, Wuhan Sanyang Road Yangtze River Tunnel, is the first tunnel under the Yangtze River and connects the Hankou and Wuchang districts in the city of Wuhan.

The project is owned by Wuhan Metro Group Co and the contractors are Shanghai Tunnel Engineering, China Railway Erju Group and China Railway 18 Bureau Group.

Engineering firms involved in the project are China Railway Siyuan and Design Group; Wuhan Municipal Engineering Design & Research Institute; Hubei Provincial Communications Planning and Design Institute, and Shanghai Municipal Engineering Management Consulting.

The other two shortlisted projects are Yulhyeon Tunnel in South Korea, which is part of The Seoul Metropolitan High-Speed Railway Construction Project, and The Follo Line Project in Norway.

The Seoul Metropolitan High-Speed Railway connects Suseo to Pyeongtaek, and Yulhyeon tunnel is the longest (52.3km) and the deepest (50m) in South Korea. The Follo Line Project aims to connect Oslo to Ski via a 22.5-km High-Speed Railway, and includes a challenging 20-km twin-tube tunnel section.

The 2019 edition of the ITA Tunnelling and Underground Space Awards will take place from November 18 to 20 in Miami, USA.

(Writing by Madhura Deulgaonkar; Editing by Anoop Menon)

(anoop.menon@refnitiv.com)

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