The fourth Macao-Taipa Bridge, which will connect the Zone A and Zone E1 land reclamation areas, is slated to be completed in the first quarter of 2024.
Public Works Bureau (DSOP) officials said yesterday that the MOP 5.27 billion bridge is about 40 per cent complete. Three construction companies are involved in the construction: China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), China Railway Construction Bridge Engineering Bureau Group and Omas Construction and Engineering.
The DSOP officials noted yesterday that the government commissioned the consortium in March 2020 to carry out the project.
The 3,085-metre-long bridge will have eight vehicular lanes – four running in each direction. One lane in each direction will be for motorcycles only. Pedestrians and cyclists will be prohibited from using the bridge, which is being built east of Friendship Bridge.
The officials also said that wind protection barriers will be installed to reduce the wind speed on the fourth Macao-Taipa Bridge, enabling it to remain open to traffic during Typhoon Signal No 8.
The officials added that the bridge will have a spur connecting to the man-made island where the Macao and Zhuhai border checkpoints of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) are located – which is located east of the 138-hectare Zone A.
According to the officials, in the long term, on the Taipa side, the fourth Macao-Taipa Bridge will have a spur connecting to a future tunnel under Big Taipa Hill. However, the officials underlined that the government is still designing the Big Taipa Hill Tunnel project and they have not come up with a timetable as to when the long-planned Big Taipa Hill Tunnel project can get off the ground.
Zone A is primarily developed for public housing projects, with only some plots earmarked for private residential projects. A raft of public housing projects is currently being carried out there.
According to the DSOP officials, government-subsidised home-ownership scheme (HOS) housing estates are being built on eight plots in Zone A, providing around 8,200 flats. In addition, the government is inviting bids for the construction of social rental housing estates on four plots in Zone A, providing around 4,000 flats.
Around 28,000 public housing units in total are slated to be built in Zone A. The majority of the public housing units in Zone A will be HOS flats, with the remaining being social rental housing units, The Macau Post Daily reported.
