A temporary bridge under construction at the Lok Ma Chau Loop area of Hong Kong on February 28 (COURTESY PHOTO) 

A temporary bridge, built in just one week in early March, has been the key to the construction of an emergency hospital in Hong Kong. Built with support from the Central Government, the hospital, the first phase of which was completed on April 7, is helping the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region respond to growing COVID-19 case numbers. 

Spanning a river that separates Hong Kong from the mainland, the bridge has allowed engineering teams and materials to be transported directly from Shenzhen to the construction site of the new hospital in the Lok Ma Chau Loop area of Hong Kong. 

Li Kaiyi, a 38-year-old procurement specialist with China State Construction Bridge Corp. Ltd. was one of contributors to the bridge. Usually working on commercial contracts for the company, Li began working in Shenzhen in early March purchasing the materials for the project. 

“We worked 24 hours a day for three days, purchased around 3,000 tons of materials, and then transported them to the site to support the construction. To ensure all the necessary materials were in place, we checked the supplies twice a day,” Li told Beijing Review.  

According to Li, one of the major challenges was the serious coronavirus situation in Shenzhen, which had not eased by the end of March. Travel restrictions in the city hampered the movement of both materials and staff, leading Li’s team to worry about whether they would complete the task on time. 

“Participating in the project has allowed me to contribute to combating the epidemic. The bridge was key to the construction of the hospital,” Li said. 

As the bridge was completed on March 6, more than 200 administrative staff and over 1,700 construction workers from China State Construction Engineering Corp. arrived at the site at around 6 a.m. that day to begin work on the 1,000-bed hospital. Test operations began on March 29, and the first phase of the hospital, with 500 beds, was completed on April 7.  

Copyedited by G.P. Wilson  

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