Busy Hong Kong intersection partially reopens after road subsidence leaves huge pothole but main section remains closed
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Hong Kong authorities have partially reopened a busy intersection in Sham Shui Po district that was closed to traffic after subsidence left a huge four-metre-deep pothole in the street. Two sections of Hai Tan Street as well as Kweilin Street were shut to all traffic after an eight metre by 12 metre pothole started to appear on Friday afternoon. The roads were expected to fully reopen to traffic on June 7. However, the government managed to partly reopen a section early. On Sunday afternoon, the section of Kweilin Street between Tung Chau Street and Hai Tan Street reopened to all traffic. But the main section with the hole remains closed and motorists have been told to use alternative routes while affected bus routes have been diverted. Director of Water Supplies Roger Wong Yan-lok said soil erosion might have caused the road subsidence. Erosion can occur when water carries away soil, weakening its structure. “We received a report about a pipe problem and looked into it. The tubes for the water supply were all fine but we found some damage to drainage pipes … the recent heavy rain also contributed to it,” he said at the site. “We will use radar devices on nearby roads to see if there are similar situations, and take preventive measures if there are any.” He said an investigation into the cause of the subsidence was under way. The Drainage Services Department earlier said two drains that were two metres deep had been damaged. A 300mm diameter stormwater drain and a 225mm diameter sewage drain were damaged. Veteran civil engineer Aaron Bok Kwok-ming said soil erosion often happened around cracks where water had leaked. “When the soil structure can no longer support the weight of the road and vehicles, land subsidence will happen,” Bok said. “As far as I know, the relevant departments regularly inspect the pipes, but there are too many roads in Hong Kong, so it’s hard to fully prevent such incidents from happening.” The subsidence appeared as Tropical Cyclone Maliksi triggered a No 3 typhoon signal from Friday to…