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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 1976
NEW SHING MUN BRIDGE TAKING SHAPE
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PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT ENGINEERS HAVE COMPLETED ALL MAJOR FOUNDATION WORKS ON THE NEW SHING MUN RIVER RAILWAY BRIDGE AT SHA TIN AND HALF OF THE BRIDGE STRUCTURE HAS ALREADY BEEN FORMED.
MR. VAL MANSFIELD, PROJECT ENGINEER, SAID TODAY THAT DESPITE BAD WEATHER CONDITIONS THE P.W.D.'S RAILWAY DIVISION WAS PUSHING AHEAD WITH THE CONSTRUCTION WORK AND STILL HOPED TO HAVE THE NEW BRIDGE READY FOR USE BY THE END OF THE FIRST WEEK IN OCTOBER.
+AS SOON AS WEATHER CONDITIONS PERMIT, THE REMAINING CONNECTING SPANS WILL BE PUT IN POSITION TO COMPLETE THE BASIC FRAMEWORK OF THE BRIDGE,+ HE SAID.
+RIGHT AFTER THAT WE'LL BEGIN LAYING THE SURFACE OF THE BRIDGE AND ONCE THIS IS DONE WE'LL START RECONNECTING THE RAIL TRACKS TO ENABLE NORMAL TRAIN SERVICES TO RESUME, HE ADDED.
MR. MANSFIELD SAID THAT SINCE THE DESTRUCTION OF THE OLD BRIDGE DURING THE RECENT RAINSTORMS, P.W.D. WORKERS HAD BEEN WORK ING ROUND THE CLOCK UNDER A CRASH BUILDING PROGRAMME TO RESTORE THE SEVERED RAIL LINK AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
+WE HAVE BEEN SOMEWHAT UNFORTUNATE IN THAT BAD WEATHER HAS HAMPERED PROGRESS SOMEWHAT, PARTICULARLY DURING THE PASSAGE OF TYPHOON IRIS, BUT WE'RE HOPING THAT THE WEATHER WILL IMPROVE SO THAT WE CAN FINISH MOST OF THE WORK IN ABOUT TWO WEEKS FROM NOW TO GET THE TRAIN SERVICE BACK TO NORMAL,+ HE ADDED.
MR. MANSFIELD EXPLAINED THAT DUE TO THE URGENT NATURE OF THE WORK MOST OF THE NECESSARY BUILDING MATERIALS HAD HAD TO BROUGHT IN FROM OTHER PROJECTS, INCLUDING THE CONCRETE BEAMS WHICH FORM PART OF THE BRIDGE SPAN.
+AS THERE WERE NOT SUFFICIENT CONCRETE BEAMS READILY AVAILABLE,+ HE SAID, PART OF THE BRIDGE SPAN WILL BE IN STEEL AN UNUSUAL BUT TECHNICALLY SOUND FEATURE.+
MR. MANSFIELD SAID THE NEW BRIDGE WOULD BE A TWO-SPAN STRUCTURE CARRYING ONE RAIL LINE.
+ONCE WE HAVE COMPLETED THE BRIDGE AND RESTORED THE NORMAL TRAIN SERVICE, TENDERS WILL BE CALLED FOR A SECOND BRIDGE THAT WILL EE REQUIRED FOR DOUBLE TRACKING THE RAILWAY, HE SAID.
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