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MDLIAN 6439
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FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 2957
OF 06050OZ OCTOBER 90
ur
INFO PRIORITY PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG, HKGO LONDON
GOL
INFO PRIORITY HKGO BRUSSELS, HKGO WASHINGTON, HKGO TOKYO INFO PRIORITY HKGO NEW YORK, HKGO GENEVA, HKGO SAN FRANCISCO
MIPT: LANTAU FIXED CROSSING:
TEXT OF CHIEF SECRETARY'S PRESS STATEMENT
A YEAR AGO WE ANNOUNCED THE GOVERNMENT'S DECISION TO GO AHEAD WITH THE CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AT CHEK LAP KOK AND ITS ASSOCIATED TRANSPORT LINKS. AT THE SAME TIME WE UNVEILED A BLUEPRINT FOR THE DOUBLING OF OUR PORT FACILITIES.
AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF WORK HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE THEN: PUTTING THE TEAM INTO PLACE TO TAKE THE PROJECT FORWARD, DETAILED PLANNING OF EACH PROJECT AND THE LETTING OF CONTRACTS FOR MAJOR RECLAMATIONS. AS YOU KNOW, WE HAVE BEEN WORKING TOWARDS AN ANNOUNCEMENT TODAY OF A DECISION ON HOW WE WILL MANAGE THE TENDERING FOR THE FIXED CROSSING WHICH WILL LINK LANTAU TO THE URBAN AREA. THIS IS ANOTHER MAJOR MILESTONE ALONG THE ROAD TO CHEK LAP KOK. AND I AM PLEASED TO BE ABLE TO TELL YOU WHERE WE
STAND.
WITHOUT THE CROSSING, THE AIRPORT WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO FUNCTION. NOR WOULD THE ASSOCIATED DEVELOPMENTS. IT IS CRUCIAL THAT WE BUILD THE BRIDGE ON TIME. OUR PRESENT FORECASTS SHOW THAT THE EXISTING AIRPORT WILL BE SATURATED BY 1994. CONSTRUCTION OF THE BRIDGE IS ESTIMATED TO TAKE FIVE YEARS. CLEARLY THEN WE NEED
TO MAKE AN EARLY START.
IN COMING TO A DECISION ON HOW THE PROJECT SHOULD BE HANDLED WE HAVE REVIEWED ALL THE OPTIONS OPEN TO US AND HAVE DECIDED ON A STRAIGHTFORWARD CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT APPROACH. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF REASONS FOR ADOPTING THIS APPROACH RATHER THAN THE 'BUILD-OPERATE-TRANSFER' (BOT) OPTION. I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE YOU
THROUGH THEM.
FIRST OF ALL THERE IS CERTAINTY. IT IS CLEAR THAT THE FIXED CROSSING IS THE KEY TO THE SUCCESS OF THE WHOLE PROJECT. THE
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