Tech to help Hong Kong ‘save every penny’ on building Northern Metropolis Highway

Hong Kong transport authorities will employ cost-cutting measures to prevent a proposed highway crucial to the Northern Metropolis megaproject from depleting the government’s already cash-strapped coffers, a minister has said.

Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan said on Thursday that technology would help to reduce the cost of an initial study for the 23km (14.3 miles) highway and speed up the process so it could be put up for tender in 2027.

The proposed Northern Metropolis Highway is expected to connect Tin Shui Wai, San Tin, Kwu Tung and the New Territories North New Town, while reducing the driving distance between stops by 9km.

Authorities would also impose new conditions under tender contracts to incentivise contractors to create further savings and reduce risks, while ensuring the government shared in the fruits of the endeavour, she added.

“We will save every penny through the deployment of technology,” she said. “Drilling a hole for a tunnel is quite expensive, so we have worked out a lower-cost solution by minimising tunnelling.”

Chan said technologies such as drones and digital imaging software would be used to cut costs, while the length of a proposed tunnel section would be reduced from 2km to 0.5km.