TRANSPORT
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The Airport Core Programme includes a rail link which will provide a fast, efficient service to the new airport and a domestic service to Tung Chung New Town. The new line will help to relieve existing congestion on the Nathan Road Corridor of the Mass Transit Railway and it will also serve new developments on the West Kowloon Reclamation.
Environmental Impact of Road Construction
The environmental impact of new road projects is carefully examined at the planning stage. Where practical, measures such as landscaping, artificial contouring of surrounding hillsides and the installation of noise barriers are considered. Consideration is also given to providing air-conditioning units and double-glazing in domestic premises where noise levels cannot be brought within the required standard through other means.
Road Opening Works
Besides serving as carriageways for vehicles and pedestrians, roads also accommodate various utility services, such as water and gas mains, sewers and electricity and telephone cables. To cope with the increasing demand for utility services and maintenance work, utility companies often have to excavate the carriageways and footpaths to lay more pipes, cables and ducts, and to carry out repair work. There were about 140 new road openings on each day in 1997. Road openings are co- ordinated and controlled by the Highways Department through a permit system, under which utility companies are required to carry out work to a required standard and within a time limit.
To co-ordinate work more effectively and to minimise traffic disruption, the department holds monthly Road Opening Co-ordinating Committee meetings with the utility companies, the police and the Transport Department. A computerised utility management system was developed in 1997 to further improve co-ordination and minimise disturbance to road users.
Tunnels
The six government-owned tunnels — Lion Rock, Aberdeen, Airport, Shing Mun, Tseung Kwan O and Cheung Tsing are managed and operated by private companies under management contracts. Tolls are controlled by the government.
The Lion Rock Tunnel, linking Kowloon and Sha Tin, began single-tube operation in 1967, with a second tube added in 1978. The 1.4-kilometre tunnel is the most heavily used government tunnel, with 97 000 vehicles daily. The toll was $6 in 1997.
The Aberdeen Tunnel, opened in 1982, links the north and south sides of Hong Kong Island. It measures 1.9 kilometres and was used by 60 000 vehicles daily in 1997. The toll was $5.
The toll-free Airport Tunnel provides direct access from Hung Hom to Hong Kong International Airport, and passes underneath the airport runway to Kowloon Bay. Opened in 1982, the 1.3-kilometre tunnel was used by 55 000 vehicles daily in 1997.
The Shing Mun Tunnels between Sha Tin and Tsuen Wan were opened in 1990 and measure 2.6 kilometres. An average of 55 000 vehicles a day paid $5 each to use them in 1997.
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