Dragages (HK) Joint Venture has been awarded by KCRC a 2.8 billion HK$ contract for the design and construction of the tunnel section of the East Rail Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Extension.
The LDB-201 project consists of the design and construction of two parallel tunnel tubes, each of 5.2 km long, running from Sheung Shui north under Long Valley to Chau Tau. The Joint Venture’s design will employ a 8.75m diameter Earth Pressure Balanced tunnel-boring machine (EPB TBM) for the excavation of 3.5km of the tunnels under Long Valley, while cut and cover method will be used for the remaining 1.7km Western & Eastern Approaches.
Detailed design, as well as preliminary works on Eastern Approach will start in November 2002. The TBM excavation is expected to start by the last quarter of 2003, and substantial completion of the whole project is scheduled for end of 2006.
Luc Messier, Managing Director of Dragages Hong Kong, said that the contract was partly a result of the company’s past performance on similar projects. “We are very delighted by the award of the contract. We have carried out successfully similar jobs in the past. Together with our design and engineering expertise, we are fully committed to deliver once again a work with the highest standard in safety, quality and environment.”
The Spur Line Tunnel will be the second rail tunnel carried out by Dragages using large scale TBM in Hong Kong. Dragages brought into Hong Kong in 2000 for the first time an EPB TBM for the construction of the West Rail Kwai Tsing Tunnels. By using TBM, works had been carried out with full respect to the environment, causing almost no impact to road traffic and neighbouring communities. The construction of the Kwai Tsing Tunnels was not only completed several months ahead of schedule, but has also won many safety and quality awards.
Dragages (HK) Joint Venture is a joint venture between Dragages et Travaux Publics (HK) Ltd and the French civil works leader, Bouygues Travaux Publics SA; both are part of the French company Bouygues Construction.