TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1980
SHA TIN-TSUEN WAN CORRIDOR STUDY COMMISSIONED
****
THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT TODAY COMMISSIONED A $7.8 MILLION FEASIBILITY STUDY ON TRANSPORT LINKS BETWEEN SHA TIN AND TSUEN WAN NEW TOWNS.
THE AGREEMENT WAS SIGNED BY THE PRINCIPAL GOVERNMENT HIGHWAY ENGINEER OF THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, DR NIP KAM-FAN, AND MR A.C. LYONS ON BEHALF OF THE JOINT CONSULTANT GROUP COMPRISING HALCROW INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIP IN ASSOCIATION WITH HALCROW FOX AND ASSOCIATES, PETER Y.S. PUN AND ASSOCIATES, AND TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS AND MARKET RESEARCH LTD. (TRANSMARK).
THE GOVERNMENT HAD IN THE PAST UNDERTAKEN SEVERAL TRANSPORT STUDIES CONCERNING, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE FUTURE TRUNK ROAD SYSTEM IN THE NEW TERRITORIES.
AMONG THE ROUTES INVESTIGATED WERE ROUTE 5, LINKING SHA TIN AND TSUEN WAN AND ROUTE 16, LINKING SHA TIN AND WEST KOWLOON.
ALTHOUGH PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING STUDIES OF THESE TWO ROUTES WERE CARRIED OUT, THEY DID NOT INCLUDE TECHNICAL AND ECONOMIC ANALYSES COMPREHENSIVE ENOUGH TO ENABLE THE GOVERNMENT TO MAKE A DECISION ON THE TYPE, SCALE AND TIMING OF THE FACILITIES TO BE PROVIDED IN THE CORRIDOR.
THE GOVERNMENT, THEREFORE, HAS DECIDED TO ENGAGE CONSULTANTS TO UNDERTAKE A FEASIBILITY STUDY OF THE MOST EFFICIENT MEANS TO MEET THE TRANSPORT NEEDS OF THE SHA TIN-TSUEN WAN CORRIDOR.
COMMENTING ON THE LATEST STUDY COMMISSIONED, DR NIP SAID IT WOULD BE DIVIDED INTO TWO STAGES:
+STAGE I WILL CONSIST OF A TECHNICAL AND ECONOMIC INVESTIGATION OF THE ALTERNATIVE SYSTEMS.
+THIS WILL BE IN SUCH DETAIL AS TO PROVIDE A PRELIMINARY BASIS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS CONCERNING THE RELATIVE ADVANTAGES OF VARIOUS SYSTEMS AND THE FEASIBLE ALTERNATIVES TO BE STUDIED IN GREATER DETAIL IN STAGE 11.
+THE STUDY WILL ALSO BE USED AS A CASE STUDY TO DEMONSTRATE THE APPLICATION OF APPROPRIATE ECONOMIC EVALUATION TECHNIQUES AND CRITERIA IN THE GOVERNMENT'S TRANSPORT PLANNING AND PROGRAMMING PROCESS.+
THE STUDY WILL START IMMEDIATELY AND A DRAFT FINAL REPORT ON ITS RESULT AND SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS IS EXPECTED TO BE SUBMITTED TO THE GOVERNMENT IN TEN MONTHS.
THE STUDY WILL BE PARTLY FINANCED BY A LOAN FROM THE ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK.
/2