A Government spokesman said today (June 2) that due to the road subsidence at the junction of Hai Tan Street and Kweilin Street in Sham Shui Po, the section of Hai Tan Street (Lai Chi Kok bound) between Yen Chow Street and Kweilin Street is now completely closed to traffic. Project teams of the Water Supplies Department (WSD) and the Drainage Services Department (DSD) are making all-out efforts in carrying out emergency repair. It is expected that temporary repair work for the fast lane of the affected section will be completed before midnight tonight and will be reopened to traffic by 6am tomorrow (June 3).
The WSD's project team is sparing no effort in carrying out permanent repair work for the remaining lane being affected and striving for reopening the Lai Chi Kok bound slow lane of Hai Tan Street between Yen Chow Street and Kweilin Street before morning rush hours on June 5. Thereafter, the WSD will arrange for permanent repair work for the fast lane which has resumed traffic temporarily and the work is expected to be completed before morning rush hours on June 7.
The Transport Department (TD) will timely update the traffic conditions and arrangements through various channels, including the TD's mobile application "HKeMobility" and website.
The road subsidence covers an area of about eight metres x 12 metres and is about four metres in depth. Within the area, a sewer pipe (about 225 millimetres in diameter) and a stormwater drain (about 300 millimetres in diameter) located about two metres below the ground have been partially damaged. The DSD has implemented temporary measures for interception and arranged a pump truck for temporary collection of sewage to ensure the operation of relevant drainage and sewer facilities. The DSD also plans to reinstate the two sections of drainage pipes in due course after the completion of the emergency repair work of the road.
The Buildings Department (BD) has also deployed staff to inspect buildings in the vicinity of the scene of the road subsidence. After inspection, the BD considered there was no obvious danger to the overall building structure of these buildings.
In order to further understand whether other underground facilities have been affected by the road subsidence, the WSD has arranged for professionals to review the underground conditions with radar detection on nearby roads and no road subsidence has been found in the vicinity so far.
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The WSD, the DSD and the Highways Department are conducting a joint investigation on the cause of the road subsidence. It is preliminarily assessed that recent heavy rains may have intensified soil erosion, which may be one of the causes of road subsidence. Relevant departments will continue to conduct a comprehensive and in-depth investigation.
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