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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1974.
FOOTBRIDGE TO REPLACE CONNAUGHT ROAD CROSSING
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-THE STUDDED PEDESTRIAN CROSSING OUTSIDE THE FURAMA HOTEL ON CONNAUGHT ROAD CENTRAL WILL BE CLOSED FROM MONDAY (SEPTEMBER 9) AND REPLACED BY A FOOTBRIDGE TO MAKE IT EASIER AND SAFER FOR PEDESTRIANS TO CROSS THE BUSY CONNAUGHT ROAD/HARCOURT ROAD JUNCTION.
INITIALLY, A TEMPORARY WOODEN FOOTBRIDGE WILL BE SET UP. AT A LOCATION ON HARCOURT ROAD, SLIGHTLY TO THE EAST OF THE PRESENT CROSSING. WORK ON. THIS WILL START SHORTLY AND THE BRIDGE SHOULD BE IN POSITION WITHIN TWO MONTHS.
IN THE MEANTIME, PEDESTRIANS ARE ADVISED TO MAKE USE OF THE PEDESTRIAN SUBWAY AT EDINBURGH PLACE.
A SPOKESMAN FOR THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT SAID THAT THE SAME WOODEN BRIDGE USED IN CONNECTION WITH HIGHWAY IMPROVEMENTS IN ARGYLE STREET IN KOWLOON WOULD BE USED AT HARCOURT ROAD. THE BRIDGE WILL BE BROUGHT OVER FROM KOWLOON AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
THE TEMPORARY BRIDGE WILL LATER BE REPLACED BY A PERMANENT CONCRETE ONE, ON WHICH IT IS INTENDED TO START WORK NEXT YEAR.
THE SPOKESMAN EXPLAINED THAT THE DECISION TO CLOSE THE STUDDED CROSSING FOLLOWED OBSERVATIONS KEPT ON IT BY STAFF OF THE HIGHWAYS OFFICE, THE TRAFFIC POLICE AND THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT.
THEY HAD CONCLUDED THAT THE FURTHER USE AND INCREASING USE OF THIS CROSSING COULD LEAD TO A RISK OF ACCIDENTS.