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FRIDAY, MARCH 28, 1980
AP LEI CHAU BRIDGE OPENS
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SIR YUET-KEUNG KAN, SENIOR UNOFFICIAL MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL, TODAY (FRIDAY) OPENED THE $60 MILLION AP LE CHAU BRIDGE, THE FIRST TO LINK HONG KONG ISLAND WITH AN OFFSHORE ISLAND.
SPEAKING AT THE OPENING CEREMONY, SIR YUET-KEUNG SAID THAT THE BRIDGE WOULD, INEVITABLY, BRING ABOUT RADICAL CHANGES TO AP LE! CHAU.
+ADDITIONAL LAND IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR DEVELOPMENT, WHICH HAS BEEN THE SUBJECT OF RECENT PUBLIC INTEREST AND DEBATE, HE SAID.
+ALREADY, THE HOUSING AUTHORITY, DESPITE GEOGRAPHICAL CONSTRAINTS, IS BUILDING A NEW HOUSING ESTATE IN AP LEI CHAU. THE INITIAL PHASE, WHICH HAS JUST BEEN COMPLETED, WILL HOUSE 9 000 RESIDENTS, OUT OF A TOTAL OF 19 000 RESIDENTS WHEN THE WHOLE ESTATE IS COMPLETED.+
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SIR YUET-KEUNG SAID HE COULD ENVISAGE THAT WITH THE OPENING OF THE BRIDGE, MORE RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT WOULD BE TAKING PLACE IN AP LEI CHAU AND THIS WOULD GRADUALLY TRANSFORM THE ISLAND INTO A MODERN TOWNSHIP.
HE DESCRIBED THE PROJECT AS UNIQUE IN THAT IT LINKED HONG KONG ISLAND WITH ONE OF ITS OFFSHORE ISLANDS.
+TOGETHER WITH THE NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN APPROACH ROADS AND THE INTERCHANGE AT WONG CHUK HANG ROAD, IT PROVIDES ROAD TRANSPORT TO AP LEI CHAU, HE SAID.
+WHEN THE ABERDEEN TUNNEL PROJECT IS COMPLETED IN THE MIDDLE OF NEXT YEAR, THERE WILL BE A FAST, DIRECT ROAD LINK FROM AP LE! CHAU TO THE NORTHERN PART OF HONG KONG VIA THE ABERDEEN TUNNEL + AND THENCE THROUGH THE CROSS HARBOUR TUNNEL TO KOWLOON AND THE NEW TERRITORIES. THE TRIP FROM AP LEI CHAU TO KOWLOON WOULD TAKE LESS THAN 20 MINUTES.+
AP LEI CHAU RESIDENTS, HE ADDED, WOULD NOW BE ABLE TO BENEFIT FULLY FROM THE PROVISION OF THIS BRIDGE.
THEY COULD WALK SAFELY ACROSS THE BRIDGE ON THE FOOTWAY INCORPORATED, AND MIGHT AT THE SAME TIME ENJOY THE SCENIC VIEW ON BOTH SIDES.
SIR YUET-KEUNG SAID THAT A BUS TERMINUS HAD ALREADY BEEN BUILT ADJACENT TO THE PUBLIC HOUSING ESTATE AND HE EXPRESSED THE HOPE THAT WITH THE COMPLETION OF THE BRIDGE A BUS SERVICE WOULD SOON BE INTRODUCED TO SERVE RESIDENTS IN AP LE CHAU.
+ IT WAS NOT AN EASY TASK TO BUILD A BRIDGE TO SPAN OVER A BUSY NAVIGATION CHANNEL AND TO CONSTRUCT A ROAD IN DIFFICULT AND HILLY GROUND CONDITIONS ON AP LEI CHAU, HE SAID.
+DESPITE THIS, THE BRIDGE AND THE ACCESS ROAD SYSTEM HAVE BEEN COMPLETED IN GOOD TIME FOR THE OCCUPATION OF THE NEW HOUSING BLOCKS ON THE ISLAND, +
/EARLIER,
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