Government department also reveals an extra 116 ‘problematic’ findings that lab contractor Jacobs China carried out on the mega bridge
The firm that falsified concrete test samples from the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge also faked dozens more at another 55 public projects including a tunnel in Causeway Bay and a children’s hospital, it was revealed on Saturday. In a stunning turn of events, the Civil Engineering and Development Department said laboratory contractor Jacobs China had doctored a total of 130 tests at the 55 projects, and it had also discovered an extra 116 “problematic” tests related to the bridge on top of the 210 already recorded. But the department gave an assurance there was no risk to public safety. “Our analysis showed that the [concrete of 55 public projects] still complied with the government’s requirements, ” said Norman Heung Yuk-sai, acting director of the department. The initial findings related to test certificates for the bridge came to light late last month after the Independent Commission Against Corruption arrested 21 employees of Jacobs China. Heung said the latest information would be referred to the ICAC for further investigation. The latest revelation takes the total number of abnormal test results to 456. The 55 projects affected in the widening scandal included a tunnel along the Central-Wan Chai Bypass, at the Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter, which had 14 problematic test samples.
