HKZMB concrete scandal widens to 55 other projects

The acting director of Hong Kong’s Civil Engineering and Development Department, Norman Heung, said on Saturday that 116 additional concrete samples from the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HKZMB) were found by the government to be “problematic.” This brings the total number of problematic samples on the bridge project to 336.

In other areas, Heung said that the analysis had uncovered “130 problematic test results, which are probably related to 55 public works projects,” but that these projects do not present a safety risk.

The affected public works entities include a tunnel in Causeway Bay and a children’s hospital.

Heung said that a government-appointed lab had certified the samples through falsified evaluation reports. The company, Jacobs China, was previously accused of submitting 210 falsified reports of concrete cube tests starting from as early as 2015.

“We found from the original raw data that the test results are not exactly the same as those reported in the relevant test certificates,” said Heung as cited by Radio Television Hong Kong. “We think it’s of utmost importance to determine whether these problematic results will lead to inferior quality of concrete.”

The results of the 116 “problematic” samples will now be referred to the Highways Department for further testing. Heung said that testing will be carried out to determine whether the project is safe for the public.

Last month, the neighboring region’s Independent Commission Against Corruption arrested two senior executive and 19 staff members at Jacobs China. The employees allegedly played a part in the scandal by altering time stamps and switching samples in order to meet compressive strength standards.

Macau’s chief executive, Chui Sai On, has previously stated that MSAR residents should rest assured about the construction quality of the Macau section of the bridge.