Construction sites prepare for typhoon
Works is halted on a construction site in Pudong.
Stabilization and flood prevention measures have been taken at local construction sites as typhoon Lekima is approaching.
Construction companies are required to protect the pits, cranes, elevators, scaffolding, ditches and temporary houses.
There are more than 3,500 projects underway citywide, including 371 housing renovation and 365 demolition projects. A massive campaign is also ongoing to move overhead cables underground.
All construction work will be suspended and workers evacuated if the storm proves a safety risk, the city’s housing and urban rural construction management committee said.
Local authorities have inspected more than 400 construction sites to help them prepare for the coming typhoon.
Previously, more than 3,600 construction sites have been examined and some 7,600 safety risks have been corrected, the committee said.
An emergency response team composed of 500 workers from five major construction firms including Shanghai Construction Group and Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Co is on standby.
Several other specialized repair teams with a total of 4,000 staff from the engineering, gas, house renovation and demolition industries are also ready.
At a construction site on Yuanshen Road in Pudong, the workers’ sheds have been stabilized and ditches dredged to prevent the newly dug foundation pit from being deluged.
The project, taken over by China Construction Eighth Engineering Division Corp, includes a 15-floor research and development building and a park.
Starting in June 2018, it is scheduled to be completed by August 2020. Construction has been completed on the two-storey foundation.
The company has prepared raincoats and other emergency response materials for construction workers, said Xiang Guangxu, the project manager. It has also rented a nearby community school for workers to take shelter.
Workers take precaution measures.
The under-construction Pudong Urban Planning and Public Art Center in Beicai area has suspended overhead works.
Temporary housing has been stabilized with steel beams.
In an emergency, all workers will be evacuated to the nearby Pudong Library.
Preparations have also been made for the tallest building being constructed at the West Bund waterfront in Xuhui and Kunyang Road Bridge, the 13th crossing the Huangpu River connecting Minhang and Fengxian districts.
Workers have wrapped the steel beams and equipment on the Xuhui riverside. The legs of the cranes have been stabilized, while portable materials have been shifted to indoor or underground areas.
Construction has suspended on Kunyang Road Bridge. Construction boats have been berthed and stabilized on docks, said Hu Guicheng, an official taking charge of the project.
The committee has also inspected local residential communities and found out 228 low-lying sites that are likely to be deluged. Additional preventions have been conducted for these sites.
Residents are asked to inspect their canopies, air-conditioners and balcony ahead of the landing of the typhoon. They are also advised underground car parks may flood.
Water pumps for underground sites have been inspected to prevent such situation.
The committee has also established a management platform for the glass curtain walls of local edifices.
The system has identified 384 buildings with safety risks. The owners and property management companies of these buildings have been told to take precautions.
Officials with the city's housing and urban rural construction management committee inspect the Pudong site.
