Taipa Grande tunnel excavation underway

The Public Works Bureau (DSOP) has begun construction of a major tunnel project to divert traffic from the Macau Bridge to the Cotai region via Taipa Grande.

The tender process is underway to pre-qualify potential contractors, with the screening process set to be completed by the end of July. Only a shortlist of five candidates will be invited to bid for the project, which is estimated to take 1,165 working days to complete.

Once finished, the approximately 600-meter-long, four-lane tunnel will provide quicker access for vehicles traveling between the Macau Peninsula and the Cotai casino district through the Macau Bridge, the city’s newest link between the peninsula and Taipa.

In response to a written question from lawmaker Ella Lei, the government justified the need for the tunnel, saying it will “provide quick access for vehicles traveling between the Macau Peninsula and Cotai” and help “alleviate traffic pressure in the vicinity of the Taipa Ferry Terminal and Macau International Airport, as well as on the roads in the Pac On area.”

While the project was first proposed more than 10 years ago, its construction was only recently scheduled to begin this year, in line with the government’s most recent plan.

According to Lam Wai Hou, DSOP director, the project will be divided into two phases for the purposes of competition and construction. The official did not provide a specific timeline for the completion of the work, but said the competition schedule and project details will be announced “in due time.”

Lei has also asked the government to publicly announce the findings of the environmental impact study conducted for the project.

Lam said an assessment was completed this year looking at factors such as air and noise pollution as well as landscape impacts. Mitigation plans will be implemented with approval from the Environmental Protection Bureau (DSPA), though no assessment results were released.

“A mitigation plan was formulated, and the DSPA provided a technical opinion on the environmental assessment”, said the official.

The Taipa Grande hill tunnel project is expected to play a crucial role in improving traffic flow and accessibility between the Macau peninsula and the rapidly developing Cotai region, which has become the city’s main entertainment and gaming hub.

“The assessment of the environmental impact for the Taipa Grande tunnel project was completed in 2022. It involved comprehensive analysis and evaluation of air, noise, water quality, landscape, waste management, and the potential impacts during the project’s execution,” said Lam. Staff Reporter