Engineers concerned by gov’t plans for LRT on Sai Van Bridge

The government is planning to swap the enclosed lanes of the Sai Van Bridge, indicating that Light Rapid Transit (LRT) trains will use the current car lane in future, local Chinese media Macao Daily News reported last Friday.

According to the report, Xu Gongyi, chief designer of the bridge, as well as some Portuguese engineers, were surprised by the government’s proposal.

The designer and engineers are worried that swapping the lanes may affect the structure of the bridge. When the bridge was designed, the structure and loading for the LRT lane were taken into account and steel bars were specifically installed for that lane.

Xu has expressed his opposition to the government both verbally and in writing, but has not yet received a response.

Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raimundo do Rosário recently told the media that the government “would definitely guarantee the safety of the bridge.” In addition, he said that if his team had to review every decision it made, no progress would be achieved.

For the past 15 years, the enclosure beneath the main deck of the bridge has had four lanes – two going in each direction, with only the left lane of each in use. The lanes are used by light vehicles during typhoon days only. The right lanes, on the other hand, are reserved for the LRT.

The government’s proposal was reportedly made with the desire of ensuring the safety of the enclosed lanes.

Macao Daily News also wrote in its report that according to industry professionals, based on their expertise and an “internationally renowned consultancy commissioned by the Transport and Infrastructure Office,” (GIT) certain upgrades to the bridge would be required due to the LRT traffic. Specific upgrades included exchanging the existing steel cables for thicker ones.

Another news report published in April 2017 by local outlet Hou Kong Daily quoted lawmaker Ho Ion Sang as saying he was assured that no change of cables was required and that LRT trains could safely run on the bridge enclosure.

The GIT, which oversees the entire LRT project, responded with an announcement last Friday, describing the news report as a “rumor.” It referenced the government’s explanation on the bridge’s standards back in June 2010.

The explanation had emphasized that the bridge had been built following the standards of China, Europe, the U.S., Hong Kong and Macau. The tender matched international standards and requirements. The bridge was capable of withstanding LRT traffic and a third-party consultation report also showed that the bridge’s steel cables were in line with the relevant standards.

At the time, government was confident that the bridge would be capable of handling LRT traffic. Anthony Lam