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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1986
HONG KONG HAS PIONEERED THE USE OF IMMERSED-TUBE TUNNEL CONSTRUCTION WHICH WAS FIRST DEMONSTRATED SUCCESSFULLY BY AN ENGINEER IN BRITAIN IN THE VICTORIAN-ERA, USING UNITS BUILT
KUMAGA! OF BRICK. LITTLE WAS DONE WITH THE METHOD UNTIL HONG KONG'S FIRST CROSS-HARBOUR TUNNEL WAS BUILT IN THE 1960'S. GUMI, ONE OF THE PARTNERS IN THE NEW CROSS-HARBOUR TUNNEL CONSORTIUM, BUILT THE MASS TRANSIT RAILWAY'S CROSS-HARBOUR LINK BY A SIMILAR METHOD.
THE NEW TUNNEL, WITH ITS CAPACITY OF 80 000 VEHICLES A DAY AND ITS MTR ACCESS TO THE EASTERN PARTS OF HONG KONG AND KOWLOON, WILL GREATLY RELIEVE ROAD CONGESTION AT THE PRESENT CROSS-HARBOUR TUNNEL, WHICH IS ALREADY OPERATING ABOVE ITS ORIGINALLY-PROJECTED CAPACITY,
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IT WILL ALSO PROVIDE ANOTHER ACCESS ROUTE TO JUNK BAY NEW TOWN, THE PROJECTED HOME FOR 180 000 PEOPLE IN THE NEXT DECADE. WHEN THE PROPOSED TUNNEL THROUGH TATE'S CAIRN IS COMPLETED IT WILL PROVIDE A NEW CONNECTION BETWEEN SHA TIN AND DOWN-TOWN BUSINESS AREAS.
THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT THE NEW ACCESS WILL BRING A BUILDING +BOOM+ TO THE CURRENTLY RUN-DOWN CHA KWO LING AREA, WHICH IS LIKELY TO BE THE SITE OF MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS IN THE EARLY 1990'S.
ONE CERTAIN DEVELOPMENT WILL BE THE FILLING IN OF THE DRY-DOCK IN THE QUARRY BASIN AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE TUNNEL
THERE WILL ALSO BE ROAD IMPROVEMENTS TOLL PLAZA ON THE SITE.
IN THE KWUN TONG-LAM TIN AND CHA KWO LING AREAS. THE MTR LINE WILL BE EXTENDED OVERGROUND FROM KWUN TONG STATION VIA KWUN TONG ROAD TO LAM TIN WHERE IT WILL GO UNDERGROUND NEAR CHA KWO LING FOR THE HARBOUR CROSSING.
ALSO PART OF THE TUNNEL +PACKAGE+ WILL BE A COMBINED RESIDENTIAL-COMMERCIAL PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT NEXT TO LAM TIN MTR STATION.
WORK ON THE PROJECT IS EXPECTED TO START SOMETIME IN MARCH ONCE THE EASTERN HARBOUR CROSSING ORDINANCE HAS BEEN PASSED.
THE NEW HARBOUR TUNNEL IS UNDOUBTEDLY ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING ENGINEERING PROJECTS TO BE UNDERTAKEN IN HONG KONG IN RECENT YEARS.
AS MR FUTCHER SAID: +IT'S PROBABLY AS BIG AS ANYTHING IN THE WORLD IN TERMS OF TUNNELLING UNIT SIZE.+
JUST AS BIG WILL BE ITS IMPACT IN IMPROVING NOT ONLY THE COMMUNICATIONS BUT THE ENVIRONMENT AND LIFESTYLE OF HONG KONG.
AS WITH THE FIRST CROSS-HARBOUR TUNNEL AND THE MTR, HONG KONG PEOPLE WILL NOT REALISE JUST HOW MUCH THE EASTERN HARBOUR CROSSING WILL BENEFIT THEM UNTIL IT IS COMPLETED AND IN OPERATION.
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