The Infrastructure Development Office (GDI) said in a statement on Tuesday that a project to renovate the undersea tunnel connecting Cotai with the University of Macau (UM) campus on Hengqin Island and improve the electromechanical equipment in the tunnel was slated to get off the ground in the first quarter of next year.
The office also said that one of the aims of the project was to “fundamentally” solve the tunnel’s longstanding water leakage issue.
The office unsealed bids submitted by 14 companies for the project on Tuesday. Among the 14 bids, 12 were accepted and one was rejected, while the office accepted the remaining one conditionally – the company will have to submit within a specified period of time a number of documents that it failed to submit on Tuesday.
According to the statement, the quotations proposed by the 13 bidders range from 188 million patacas to 249 million patacas.
According to the statement, the construction periods proposed by the bidders range from 620 to 690 working days.
The statement said considering that the undersea tunnel has been in use for “a period of time”, the government has decided to launch the project to examine the overall structural status of the tunnel with the aim of addressing the various “ageing” problems, such as replacing the tunnel’s expansion joints with new ones and improving the layout of the engine rooms.
According to the statement, the project will also include the resurfacing the road surface in the tunnel, and replacing the cladding panels on the walls with new ones.
Concerning the improvements to the electromechanical equipment, the statement said that the project will improve the fire prevention and fighting, CCTV surveillance and ventilation systems. The project will also include preparatory work for the company managing the tunnel to introduce a smart management system.
According to the Macau Post Daily, the project will be carried out in two phases. The first phase will be carried out in the direction from the UM campus to Cotai. After the completion of the first phase, the second phase will be carried out in the opposite direction. Two-way traffic will continue during the two phases, however, only in one of the tunnel’s two tubes during each phase.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of Tuesday’s bid-unsealing session, GDI civil engineer Wong Sau Yan said that when the winning contractor carries out the replacement of the cladding panels on the walls, it will have to thoroughly check the locations where the water leakage occurs, using infrared light, with the aim of “fundamentally” solving the water leakage issue.
