TUESDAY, MAY 17, 1983
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NOW THAT TUEN MUN ROAD IS A DUAL CARRIAGEWAY THROUGHOUT ITS WHOLE LENGTH, I AM SURE THAT THE TREND OF REDUCING ROAD ACCIDENTS IS LIKELY TO CONTINUE PROVIDED DRIVERS OBSERVE THE SPEED LIMIT AND TAKE ACCOUNT OF THE ROAD CONDITIONS.+
SIR SZE-YUEN RECALLED THAT THE PROJECT WAS FIRST CONCEIVED IN THE MID-1960'S WHEN IT BECAME APPARENT THAT WHILE THE EXISTING CASTLE PEAK ROAD WAS ADEQUATE FOR ACCESS TO THE MANY BEACHES AND OTHER RECREATIONAL FACILITIES ALONG ITS LENGTH, IT WOULD BE LADEQUATE TO SERVE THE NEEDS OF THE PROPOSED NEW TOWN AT TUEN MUN.
+GOVERNMENT AND ITS CONSULTANTS DECIDED THAT RATHER THAN MONOPOLISING THE NARROW COASTAL STRIP, IT WOULD BE SENSIBLE TO RETAIN THE EXISTING ROAD AND MAKE USE OF THE ROUGH, STEEPLY SLOPING GROUND FOR THE NEW ROAD, AND ISOLATE IT FROM MOST OF THE EXISTING DEVELOPMENT ALONG THE ROUTE, EXCEPT FOR THE TWO INTERCHANGES AT SHAM TSENG AND SIU LAM, HE SAID.
+PHASED CONSTRUCTION WAS ALSO DECIDED ON AT THIS STAGE, AS IT WAS THOUGHT THAT A NEW SINGLE CARRIAGEWAY WOULD ADEQUATELY SERVE TUEN MUN UNTIL THE EARLY 1980'S, AND WAS CONSIDERED TO BE A CHEAPER SOLUTION, RATHER THAN CONSTRUCTING A DUAL CARRIAGEWAY IMMEDIATELY, WHICH WOULD BE UNDER-UTILISED FOR A LONG PERIOD.
WORK ON THE FIRST STAGE, SIR SZE-YUEN SAID, WAS STARTED SOME 10 YEARS AGO AND WAS OPENED BY THE FORMER GOVERNOR, SIR MURRAY TOW LORD MACLEHOSE, FIVE YEARS AGO.
SIR SZE-YUEN PAID TRIBUTE TO ALL THOSE INVOLVED IN THE DESIGN, SUPERVISION AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE VARIOUS SECTIONS OF THE PROJECT.
+ IT IS DUE TO THEIR ENERGY, EXPERTISE AND TENACITY THAT THIS FINE ROAD HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO REALITY, HE ADDED.
EARLIER, WELCOMING SIR SZE-YUEN, THE DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, MR EDDIE SHORT, SAID: THE 17-KILOMETRE TUEN MUN ROAD LINKS THE NEW TOWNS OF TSUEN WAN AND TUEN MUN, AND FORMS PART OF THE NEW TERRITORIES CIRCULAR ROAD, ON WHICH WORK IS
N PRORESS IN MANY AREAS.+
THE SECTIONS FROM SHA TIN TO LOK MA CHAU ARE EITHER UNDER CONSTRUCTION OR DUE TO START THIS YEAR, AS DUAL THREE-LANE CARRIAGEWAY AND THE FINAL SECTION FROM LOK MA CHAU TO AU TAU IS NOW BEING DESIGNED.
+WHEN TSUEN WAN BY-PASS IS COMPLETE, IT WILL JOIN TUEN MUN ROAD IN CHAI WAN KOK. THUS PROVIDING A DUAL CARRIAGEVAY FROM KWUN TONG TO YUEN LONG, HE ADDED.
THE COST OF THE ROAD, TOTALLING ABOUT $500 MILLION, WAS FUNDED BY THE NEW TERRITORIES DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT WHICH ALSO CARRIED OUT THE CONSTRUCTION OF ABOUT A TWO-KILOMETRE SECTION OF THE ROAD AT THE TUEN MUN END.
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