ENR 2025 Global Best Projects
Best Project, Bridge/Tunnel: Cross Bay Link and Associated Works
Hong Kong bridge is a prefab showcase
Extensive use of offsite prefabrication let the project team minimize the time needed to work on the water.
Cross Bay Link and Associated Works
Hong Kong, China
Best Project, Bridge/Tunnel
Submitted by China Road and Bridge Corp.
Owner: HKSAR Civil Engineering and Development Dept.
Lead Design Firm, Structural and Civil Engineer: AECOM Asia Co. Ltd.
Contractor: China Road and Bridge Corp.
The Cross Bay Link is a new style of bridge for Hong Kong, adding a key connection across a bay in the city’s busy Tseung Kwan O neighborhood. The bridge’s distinctive 4,000-metric-ton, curved steel “Eternity Arch” bears the 200-m main span—a 10,000-metric-ton segment that was fabricated on the mainland and floated and jacked into place. The span also features a two-way roadway, pedestrian walkway, bicycle path and a viewing platform, the first bridge of this design in Hong Kong.
[Cross Bay Link project] is a monumental multipurpose sea link that pioneers the use of S690QL high-strength steel, enabling the creation of imaginative shapes and forms, structural efficiency, cost-effectiveness, weight savings and infrastructure decarbonization,” explains contractor China Road and Bridge Corp. spokesperson Y.L. Cheung.
Photo courtesy China Road and Bridge Corp.
Advanced digital design and construction practices made it possible to prefabricate large segments of the bridge and viaduct offsite, as busy marine traffic and unpredictable weather could have impacted the project’s schedule. The bridge’s nine pre-stressed concrete bridge box girders, some weighing up to 3,300 metric tons, were lifted using a combination of semi-submersible barges, temporary jacks and marine cranes rather than building out with the balanced cantilever method.
“Off-site prefabrication, full-span concrete box girder lifting and float-over steel bridge installation minimized construction time,” says Cheung. Ultimately, 90% of the bridge and its approach viaduct were prefabricated offsite and floated in for installation.
Photo courtesy China Road and Bridge Corp.
Given the effort’s complexity, the project team credits extensive use of technology in planning, fabrication and execution for not only meeting an aggressive schedule but also maintaining a spotless safety record. “Innovation and digitization enhanced quality control, safety and reliability, resulting in zero accidents and minimal environmental impact,” says Cheung.
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