Thursday 7 January 2010

Kunming projects on hold after airport bridge collapse

Kunming is in the midst of an infrastructure boom that is frenzied even by mainland standards, but construction of a number of projects is on hold following the collapse of a bridge connecting the new airport.

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Kunming projects on hold after airport bridge collapse

Workers blame rushed, shoddy work for deadly accident

He Huifeng
06 January 2010

Kunming is in the midst of an infrastructure boom that is frenzied even by mainland standards, but construction of a number of projects is on hold following the collapse of a bridge connecting the new airport.

Seven workers were killed and 34 were injured when the unfinished bridge on the expressway collapsed on Sunday afternoon in Yunnan’s provincial capital.

A team of safety experts was examining all projects related to the airport and the results of the investigation would be announced next week, Xinhua reported.

Workers complained poor construction practices and tight deadlines were a factor.

The incident once again places Kunming’s construction boom in the national spotlight. It comes just a year after the collapse of another bridge, and amid growing complaints from residents exhausted by the incessant sound of progress.

The arrival of party chief Qiu He two years ago heralded the start of the makeover. A new high-speed train line will link the city with Shanghai, while another link will also connect it with Southeast Asian networks and enable a direct service to Singapore.

Eighteen new flyovers are being built, the municipal government will move to new offices in a redeveloped district, and work on a metro system began last year. However, the jewel in the crown is the 23 billion yuan (HK$26.09 billion) airport, which is aiming to become the mainland’s major hub connecting Southeast Asia and South Asia and will be the mainland’s fourth largest.

The city’s construction department initially blamed bad weather for the accident, but workers said shoddy construction caused the main steel frame to collapse.

A government employee involved with the airport project said construction crews were under immense pressure to meet deadlines, causing anger among residents.

“Construction has paralysed traffic in the city. People are complaining and this puts crews under tremendous pressure,” he said.

“We have had no time for a holiday, and we can’t stop working because of the deadlines. The investigation won’t take long because construction must restart soon. The airport must be in operation before 2012.” According to a report in the Chongqing Evening News, workers complained that untrained women were recruited to build the bridge’s steel frame. Also, work was repeatedly contracted and sub-contracted out, in turn reducing profit margins and forcing corners to be cut on labour and materials. One worker said the amount of steel had been reduced in the name of “efficiency”.

In December 2008, two people were killed and four were injured when a bridge being demolished suddenly collapsed.

The demolition was part of a one-year project to tackle congestion covering 30 schemes at a cost of 7 billion yuan. Seven new bridges were due to be built, while 11 were being demolished and wider ones built in their place. A construction worker said they were under orders from party secretary Qiu to finish everything within a year. In November, hundreds of residents protested when a major market was demolished and moved to a new area away from the city centre. The new market is several times the size of the old one and included a hotel.

Gross domestic product growth continues to be a yardstick by which the performance of regional officials is measured.