The winner for the Major Project of the Year in the over- €500M category is the Tuen Mun Chek Lap Kok Link, which will provide an alternative access route to the Hong Kong International Airport located on Chek Lap Kok Island, which up to now has only been accessible via the Tsing Ma Bridge. The works comprise a 4.5-km twin-tube sub-sea tunnel with 57 cross passages as well as a 500m cut and cover section. Construction required two slurry TBMs with an excavation diameter of 14m. The teams had to use innovative solutions to cope with harsh ground conditions and hydrostatic pressure of 5bars at tunnel face (55m below sea level). The first 630m of excavation were also operated by a 17.63m diameter TBM (world’s largest TBM), which was then reconfigured as a 14m diameter machine. 41 sub-sea cross passages were also constructed by mini TBM. The first breakthrough was completed on 27 February 2019 and the overall cost of works is estimated at €2.36bn. 

Client: Highways Department (the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region)
Contractors: Dragages Hong Kong Ltd & Bouygues Travaux Publics
Engineering firms: AECOM; DBJV; ARUP; ATKINS and Golder