Construction of the station commenced in May 1982 on a newly reclaimed area of Aldrich Bay, and was carried out by Gammon Construction. Approximately 110,348 cubic metres (3,896,903 cu ft) of material was excavated during the course of construction. The station is around 12 metres (39 ft 4 in) deep and 190 metres (623 ft 4 in) long, and was built "bottom-up" within a steel sheet piled cofferdam. The structure was designed to support the new Island Eastern Corridor, an elevated motorway, directly above it.[1]
Shau Kei Wan station opened on 31 May 1985 as part of the first phase of the Island line.