Chun Wo starts construction of HK$710M sewerage project

The company uses tunnel boring machine to excavate by trenchless method to construct Tuen Mun Western Trunk project.

Chun Wo Development Holdings Limited (“Chun Wo”) announced that it has cooperated with the Drainage Services Department of Hong Kong to commence the Tuen Mun Western Trunk Sewerage Project valued at HK$710,000,000.

The project is about 6km long extending from Po Tin Estate to Pillar Point Sewage Treatment Works, aiming to improve the flow capacity of the sewage collection system in Tuen Mun, according to a Chun Wo report.

The construction consists of building a trunk sewer of about 6km long and a sewage pumping station. Chun Wo will use the tunnel boring machine for pipe construction over a 4 km stretch of the trunk sewer. This technology allows construction to be monitored and controlled by an operator above ground through the tunnel boring machine. This method enhances safety of the project as it reduces the time for workers to physically work in the sewer. In addition, this technology could avoid the need to excavate the entire section of the roads where the sewers will be laid, thus minimizing traffic disruption and disturbance to the public.

The entire project commenced construction in December 2009 and is expected to be completed by 2014. By then, the flow capacity of Tuen Mun Western Trunk Sewerage will be improved to cater for the population growth and future development in the district.

Mr. Clement Kwok, Managing Director of Chun Wo, said, “We are pleased to become the main contractor of the Tuen Mun Western Trunk Sewerage Project. In order to mitigate the impact to the local residents, we have purchased two new tunnel boring machine for laying the underground pipes. We hope the technology can be more widely applied in Hong Kong in the future to preserve the quality of living environment for local residents while we push ahead with city development projects. This also reinforces Chun Wo’s core value of “Safety, Environment and the Public Interest Take Priority”.

To better inform the public of the construction progress, the Drainage Services Department and Chun Wo collaborately held a “Trenchless Construction Exhibition” at Tuen Mun Park from 6 to 8 November 2010, the public could also know more about the microtunnelling method used in this project and other trenchless construction technology.