City’s 4th bridge main deck complete, DSOP says works on time for opening late this year

The structure of the main deck of the 4th Macau-Taipa Bridge has been completed, the Public Works Bureau (DSOP) has announced.

According to the statement, the bridge’s main deck was completed Tuesday evening, effectively linking the two ends of the bridge, with the assembly in place of the last pre-made piece of the structure.

DSOP noted the major milestone achieved Tuesday evening, remarking also that the works were completed according to plan, with the bridge main structure to reach completion before the end of the first quarter (Q1) as expected.

Although the Pac On area in Taipa and the Zone A of the new landfill areas are now technically linked via a road link, there is still a lot of work to be done until the new bridge can start operating, the DSOP noted. The bureau confirmed that construction is on time and should reach full completion in the last quarter of this year.

The 4th Bridge started construction almost four years ago, on March 26, 2020, and according to DSOP, the project has suffered several constraints and delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as impacts from severe weather conditions.

DSOP also noted that there were some additional difficulties related to “the complexity of geological conditions and air traffic restrictions.”

The bureau advised that the next steps for this project include works related to corrosion prevention, waterproofing and asphalt paving on the deck and installation of safety barriers on the traffic lanes as well as wind protection barriers. Other works still to be completed include the installation of electromechanical equipment and systems.

The bridge is about 3.1 kilometers long, with the section above the sea measuring approximately 2.9 kilometers, and includes two maritime navigation spans measuring 280 meters.

The bridge deck is designed to have eight traffic lanes (four in each direction) with two to be used exclusively as motorcycle lanes (as happens currently at Sai Van Bridge).

The government also said to expect that, when the bridge commences operations, there will be an alleviation of traffic on the current three bridges, as well as an increase in road circulation capacity between Macau, Taipa and Coloane.

The bridge will also serve an important role in the development of Zone A of the new landfill areas, as well as allowing a faster and shorter connection between Taipa, Cotai and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Port.