the yen-loan agreement between the governments of the Republic of China and Japan.
Plans call for six traffic lanes and sidewalks. The bridge will be of the simple composite girder type and will have a width of 28.5 metres. The present bridge is a two lane Pratt type steel truss bridge, 13.1 metres wide.
Traffic across the river will be possible throughout the entire construction period.
NEW GENERAL HOSPITAL
ANOTHER new general hospital is to be built by the Ma- laysian Central Government at Seremban, capital of Negri Sembilan, 45 miles from Kuala Lumpur.
Construction work has just started on the site, which is on a hillside opposite the existing hospital in Rasah Road. The contractors are Low Keng Huat Construc- tion Co., Kuala Lumpur. Work is expected to be com- plete in 27 months.
The Buildings Division of the Public Works Depart- ment designed the hospital. Some 750 beds will be pro- vided in two nine-storey buildings, joined to form a tee. One will house the first class wards, central sterile supply
Model of Seremban Hospital
department, and operating theatres, and the other will house second and third class wards and administrative offices.
A specialist clinic, physiotherapy and pathology de- partments will be in a separate single-storey structure. while kitchen, laundry stores and mortuary will be in at special services block. A further single-storey block will contain the pharmacy department, blood bank and casual- ty department.
FALL IN RENTS IN HONG KONG
THE increasing supply of new housing is continuing to cause a fall in rents for domestic accommodation in Hong Kong.
In a review of recently built private domestic accom- modation, the Commissioner of Rating and Valuation. Mr. F. Shanks said last month that the fall in rents was more marked in the twelve-month period ended February, 1966, when lower rents on first lettings in turn exerted themselves on some existing rents.
An index of rental trends since 1958, based on an analysis of 1,200 premises of various kinds scattered throughout the Colony, shows that domestic rents, which here and there dipped a little around 1959 and 1960 and then continued to rise, in most cases quite sharply, have now steadied.
In the case of medium-sized flats the latest index figure of 121.17 (1958 - 100) records a fall of two points;
30
=
the corresponding indices for tenement-type accommoda- tion, small flats and large flats are 122.98. 116.44 and 126.18 respectively.
"It is important to note these indices are average figures derived from premises which have been in exis- tence for some time and if premises first let around the peak rental period of 1964 were considered by themselves the fall in rent would be more pronounced." Mr. Shanks said.
Drawing attention to the fall in property prices. the Commissioner says the most marked changes, compared with a year earlier, occurred in the "up to $20.000" price range which now accounted for ten per cent of what was built against the previous five per cent and in the "$20,001 to $30,000" price range where the proportion had also gone up 18 per cent to 27 per cent, so that these two lower price brackets now absorbed 37 per cent of the total compared with 23 per cent last time. while the general run of price ranges indicated a downward slide.
CASTING BASIN CONTRACT
BIDS are now in for constructing the huge casting basin at Lai Chi Kok, where segments for the Hong Kong har- bour tunnel will be produced.
A spokesman for the consulting engineers said re- cently that tenders had been received from several coun- tries and the successful contractor would be named on June 15.
Estimated to cost about HK$12 million, the rectan- gular basin will consist of two seawalls jutting out into the harbour and linked at the seaward end by a special wall of circular coffer dams. The circular dams will be formed from flat web piles supplied by the Yawata Steel Co.
Tenders for laying the tunnel are expected to be invited next month and the result announced in Novem- ber. Consulting engineers for the project, which is pro- moted by Cross-Harbour Tunnel Co., Ltd., are Scott & Wilson, Kirkpatrick & Partners, in association with Free- man, Fox and Partners.
HOTEL EXPANSION
A SIX-STOREY annexe is to be built adjoining the Siam In- tercontinental Hotel, which is scheduled to be opened this month. The US Export-Import Bank. Washington. has granted a loan of US$1 million to Siam Intercontinental Hotel Co. Ltd. to help finance the expansion which will increase the accommodation from 224 to 414 rooms.
The new block will be built facing Rama 1 Road. The Bechtel Corporation of San Francisco will supervise the construction, estimated to cost US$2,450,000, Tib- betts—Abbett-McCarthy-Stratton in association with Mr. Joseph Salerno are the architects.
LARGEST ROAD BRIDGE
WORK will begin in July on the construction of Hong Kong's largest road bridge the 2.600 ft. long Lai Chi Kok Bridge. A prestressed concrete structure, the bridge will be constructed across Lai Chi Kok Bay on the fringe of Kowloon's urban areas. It will carry two three-lane carriageways, each 33 ft. wide.
Apart from its main approach ramp, which will be- gin from the existing depot building of the Kowloon Mo- tor Bus Company, the bridge will have other access ramps giving connection to a major bus terminus to be construct- ed in the area in the near future as well as to other places in the vicinity.
Upon completion, the bridge will provide a vital link in the modern motorway between Kowloon and the New Territories formed by the new Coastal Road which winds along the coast of the Lai Chi Kok peninsula to the Kwai Chung Reclamation and the industrial town of Tsuen Wan.
The contract for the project, for which tenders are due in this month, will cover other associated works such as the formation of an elevated roadway on the east side of Lai Chi Kok Bay and, in the first instance, the mini- mum road works necessary to serve the completed struc-
Far East Architect & Builder June, 1966