Sham Mong Road Footbridge, Kowloon, Hong Kong

The Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China used NEC3 ECC Option B to deliver a 235 m four-span covered footbridge system at the junction of Sham Mong Road and Tonkin Street West in Sham Shui Po, Kowloon - completing on programme and within its HK$222 million (£22 million) budget in 2019. The project earned contractor Wang Kee Construction a highly commended at the 2018 NEC Contractor of the Year Award, with judges recognising a strong focus on NEC clause 10.1 mutual trust and co-operation to promote integrated working and joint risk mitigation throughout. 

A four-span pedestrian link across a congested Kowloon junction 

The footbridge at the junction of Sham Mong Road and Tonkin Street West provides a barrier-free, grade-separated pedestrian connection that improves connectivity between surrounding developments, enhances road safety and increases junction capacity in one of Kowloon's busiest districts. The four covered spans range from 46 m to 67 m in length and 4 m to 4.7 m in width, with six passenger lifts, four covered escalators and two covered staircases, plus structural connections to future adjacent developments. Associated works included road works, footpaths, drainage, electrical and mechanical works, landscaping and environmental mitigation measures. Wang Kee was engaged in September 2016, with CEDD's South Development Office as NEC project manager and Mannings (Asia) Consultants as supervisor and designer. 

Shared office, joint risk mitigation and an embedded anchorage innovation

CEDD chief engineer Raymond Lee says the nature of the project is defined by mutual trust and collaboration, with all team members working proactively, transparently and superlatively. A shared project office was established to develop effective communication and build the working relationships essential on a constrained urban site. The co-location helped all parties to develop trust continuously and created the amicable working environment that sustained collaborative problem-solving throughout. 

Wang Kee deputy general manager Vincent Lam says the NEC clause 10.1 focus on mutual trust and co-operation shaped the team's approach to risk from the outset. Because the site is located at a congested road junction, traffic obstruction risk was identified in the early stages of the contract and tracked closely using NEC early warnings. By successfully implementing a multi-stage temporary traffic arrangement in an extremely restricted site, piling works were commenced on time. A further example of collaborative problem-solving arose during construction of one of the lift towers: by agreeing to use an embedded anchorage system for structural steel components in place of the specified holding-down bolts, the team minimised the number of welded joints on site - improving quality and reducing programme risk in a confined working environment. 

The nature of this project is distinguished by mutual trust and collaboration. Implementing the key principles of NEC, all team members of the project are working proactively, transparently and superlatively to ensure a successful project will be delivered

Raymond Lee, Chief Engineer, South Development Office, Civil Engineering and Development Department, HKSAR

Benefits of using NEC 

• NEC3 ECC Option B provided the collaborative contractual framework for a complex four-span footbridge on a heavily constrained urban site, with the clause 10.1 mutual trust requirement shaping team behaviour from procurement through to final completion. 
• A shared project office established from contract award created the daily communication and relationship-building environment that the NEC collaborative culture requires - essential on a project where co-ordination between CEDD, Wang Kee and Mannings had to be continuous throughout construction. 
• NEC's early warning mechanism enabled traffic obstruction risk - the most significant programme threat on a congested junction site - to be identified, tracked and mitigated at the earliest stage, with a multi-stage temporary traffic arrangement implemented in time to allow piling to commence as planned. 
• The NEC collaborative culture created the conditions for a contractor-proposed design innovation - embedded anchorage replacing holding-down bolts on a lift tower - to be accepted and implemented efficiently, improving both quality and programme on a critical-path element.