SATURDAY, MARCH 20, 1976
FLYOVERS
**
PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT ROAD PLANNERS ARE DRAWING UP A $1,000 MILLION PLUS FLYOVER CONSTRUCTION PROGRAMME AS PART OF A MAJOR LONG TERM EFFORT TO BEAT CONGESTION IN HONG KONG.
ACCORDING TO MR. GORDON SAPSTEAD, PRINCIPAL GOVERNMENT HIGHWAY ENGINEER OF THE P.W.D., A SERIES OF 34 OF THESE 'HIGHWAYS IN THE SKY' ARE IN VARIOUS STAGES OF PLANNING 10 ON HONG KONG
ISLAND, 15 IN KOWLOON AND NINE IN THE NEW TERRITORIES.
THESE INCLUDE A PROPOSED $260 MILLION COMPLEX ALONG THE WATERFRONT BETWEEN CAUSEWAY BAY AND NORTH POINT A $250 MILLION PRIMARY DISTRIBUTOR ROAD (INCORPORATING SIX MAJOR INTERCHANGES) LINKING THE CROWDED YAU MA TEI DISTRICT WITH LAI CHI KOK- AND A $35 MILLION BY-PASS AT TSUEN WAN WITH THREE SEPARATE INTERCHANGES CONNECTING KWAI CHUNG ROAD AND TEXACO ROAD.
+A MAJOR FEATURE OF THE NEW FLYOVER COMPLEXES,+ SAID MR. SAPSTEAD, +WILL BE THE PROVISION OF ADEQUATE FACILITIES FOR PEDESTRIANS TO CROSS THE ROADS IN SAFETY.
EITHER
+THESE WILL BE PROVIDED IN THE FORM OF FOOTBRIDGES ATTACHED TO THE FLYOVERS OR AS A SEPARATE ENTITY AND SUBWAYS.+
AT PRESENT, THERE ARE ALREADY 92 FOOTBRIDGES OR SUBWAYS IN USE. WORK IS EITHER UNDERWAY OR DUE TO START ON ANOTHER 65 INCLUDED IN THE PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMME, AND 13 MORE ARE BEING CONSIDERED.
MEANWHILE, 21 ADDITIONAL FLYOVERS CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION ARE SCHEDULED TO OPEN TO TRAFFIC THIS YEAR AND IN 1977, INCLUDING THOSE ON THE NEW TUEN MUN ROAD.
THEY WILL BRING TO 61 THE NUMBER OF FLYOVERS BUILT IN HONG KONG DURING THE PAST 17 YEARS AT A TOTAL CAPITAL OUTLAY OF SOME $815 MILLION, AND TOGETHER WITH VARIOUS ROAD IMPROVEMENTS, SHOULD GO A LONG WAY TOWARDS SLASHING TRAFFIC QUEUES AND TRAVELLING TIMES.
THE PROBLEMS WHICH LED TO +OPERATION FLYOVER+ ARE, IF NOT ENTIRELY UNIQUE BY WORLD STANDARDS, CERTAINLY HIGHLIGHTED IN HONG KONG, WHICH HAS ONE OF THE WORLD'S HIGHEST TRAFFIC DENSITIES.
FIFTEEN YEARS AGO, HONG KONG HAD 805 KILOMETRES OF ROAD (500 MILES) CARRYING 40,000 VEHICLES. TODAY, IT HAS NEARLY 1,126 KM (700 MILES) OF ROAD SUPPORTING 190,000 VEHICLES.
MUCH OF THE LAND AREA IS MOUNTAINOUS A CONSTANT HEADACHE FOR TRANSPORT PLANNERS AND THE AREA IN CONSTANT USE IS IN EFFECT REDUCED TO 104 SQUARE KILOMETRES (40 SQUARE MILES) CONCENTRATED IN THE CENTRAL DISTRICTS OF KOWLOON AND HONG KONG.
DESPITE THE DIFFICULTIES HOWEVER, TRANSPORT PLANNERS HAVE SO FAR MANAGED TO KEEP TRAFFIC MOVING IN PEAK HOURS AT AN AVERAGE 16 KILOMETRES AN HOUR (10 MPH) A SPEED THAT WOULD BE ENVIED BY MANY OTHER LARGE CITY CENTRES.
/NOW THE