1.10 On Hong Kong Island, construction of the Robinson Road/Castle Road Junction Improvement reached an advanced stage and the construction of a new road to Hing Wah Housing Authority Estate in Chai Wan was completed. Work was started on the Canal Road Flyover Extension, the Queensway Flyover and the improvement of Garden Road Roundabout. Work continued on the widening of Pok Fu Lam Road. Tenders for the construction of the Aberdeen Tunnel, which on completion will provide a high capacity link between Aberdeen and the main urban areas, were received.
1.11
In Kowloon, the opening of the Ching Cheung Road Extension marked the substantial completion of the important route along the Kowloon foothills linking the industrial areas of Kwun Tong and Kwai Chung with the Kwai Chung container port. Access to Kwun Tong, Yau Tong and Lei Yue Mun was also improved with the opening of Wai Yip Street Extension and the Choi Shek Flyover, which provides a useful diversion route for traffic during the Mass Transit Railway construction. Work continued on the western section of the elevated road from Gascoigne Road to Tong Mi Road (part of the West Kowloon Corridor project) and commenced on the East Kowloon Way project with the start of construction of the Wu Hu and San Shan Interchanges.
1.12
The major project under way in the New Territories was the first stage of the Tuen Mun Road, which includes the Sham Tseng Viaduct. Progress has been good and work was 75% complete at the end of the year. The construction of the new railway bridge at the 17 milestone on Tai Po Road was well advanced and work started on the improvement of Tai Po Road between the Chinese University and Tai Po. Work also started on the second carriageway of the Lion Rock Tunnel Road and the widening of the bridge across the Shing Mun River, so that on the completion of the Second Lion Rock Tunnel carriageway there will be a high capacity road link from urban Kowloon to Sha Tin.
1.13
In contrast to the previous two years, vehicle registrations showed an increase of 3.5%. Though the available road length increased proportionately, traffic congestion continues to be a problem and traffic management techniques are being applied to make best use of the existing road network. A significant event in this respect was the commissioning of the Area Traffic Control system in West Kowloon.
1.14
Site formation and reclamation work carried out by the Civil Engineering Office on Hong Kong Island, in Kowloon and the Tai Po Industrial Estate in the New Territories provided a total of 42 hectares of land, of which 24 hectares of land was reclaimed for Tai Po Industrial Estate, Stage I. Good progress was maintained at Central Reclamation Stage V and Chai Wan Reclamation on Hong Kong Island, and on the reclamations at Kowloon Bay and Lai Chi Kok Bay in Kowloon.