Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raymond Tam Vai Man yesterday convened the second meeting of the newly established Working Group for Optimising the Coordination of Roadwork Projects, just about three weeks after its first meeting, stressing during yesterday’s meeting that for future private property development projects, the government will require property developers to reserve space in advance for the installation of underground pipes and cables, during their respective projects’ execution, with the aim of reducing the likelihood of future repeated excavations of public roads.
Details of yesterday’s closed-door meeting were announced in a statement by the Transport Bureau (DSAT).
The working group, chaired by Tam, aims to “fundamentally” minimise the adverse impact of roadworks on residents by improving the government’s cross-departmental coordination of roadwork projects.
Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai decided to set up the working group on March 10, after which Tam convened its first meeting on March 18.
The working group is tasked with reviewing the operation of the government’s current mechanisms for coordinating the city’s roadworks and making the necessary improvements to the mechanisms.
The working group comprises officials from various public entities.
According to yesterday’s statement, Tam said during yesterday’s meeting that roadworks are a fundamental component of modern society’s infrastructure development, adding that on the premise of ensuring construction safety, all entities involved in roadwork projects must coordinate in advance, shorten the projects’ duration, and use new technologies, with the aim of avoiding repeated excavations and minimising the adverse impact of roadworks on residents’ daily lives.
The statement noted that roadworks carried out for the installation of underground pipes and cables involve various sectors such as electricity supply, water supply and drainage, telecommunications, and natural gas, because of which, the statement said, representatives from six public utilities were also invited to attend yesterday’s meeting, namely power utility CEM, Macao Water, telecom operators CTM and MTel, Macau Cable TV, and natural gas service provider Macau City Gas, apart from officials from the relevant public entities.
According to the statement, the representatives from the six public utilities pledged during yesterday’s meeting that their companies will plan and coordinate roadwork projects in compliance with the working group’s working directions, measures and policies.
5 main directions
During the working group’s first meeting, Tam raised five main directions that the working group must comply with for its task of improving the coordination of roadwork projects, namely planning roadwork projects with a forward-looking approach and reserving space for the installation of underground pipes and cables with the aim of avoiding repeated excavations; rigorously assessing roadwork projects’ duration proposed by the respective entities based on pragmatic principles with the aim of minimising the projects’ duration; encouraging the applications of new equipment, new materials, and new techniques; reviewing and streamlining the government’s administrative procedures for assessing and approving applications for roadwork projects; and strengthening promotional campaigns and improving the transparency of roadwork projects with the aim of enabling residents to gain a better understanding of the projects’ details and their necessity.
Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raymond Tam Vai Man (centre) chairs yesterday’s meeting of the Working Group for Optimising the Coordination of Roadwork Projects. – Photo: DSAT
Vehicles drive along Rua do Almirante Sérgio in the Inner Harbour district yesterday where roadworks to resurface uneven road surfaces started last month and are being carried out in phases and sections. – Photo: Tony Wong
