TUESDAY, MAY 19, 1987
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FINAL CONTRACT FOR ISLAND EASTERN CORRIDOR SIGNED
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THE CONTRACT TO BUILD THE THIRD AND FINAL STAGE OF THE ISLAND EASTERN CORRIDOR WAS SIGNED TODAY (TUESDAY).
THIS LAST STAGE OF THE NINE-KILOMETRE-LONG SUPER HIGHWAY WILL RUN FROM SHAU KEI WAN TO THE WING TAI INTERCHANGE.
WHEN IT IS COMPLETED IN EARLY 1990, MOTORISTS WILL BE ABLE TO DRIVE WITHOUT INTERRUPTION FROM CAUSEWAY BAY TO CHAI WAN IN A MATTER OF MINUTES.
TODAY'S CONTRACT, SIGNED BY THE DIRECTOR OF HIGHWAYS, MR HAROLD BEATON, AND MR J. HAMILTON OF LEIGHTON CONTRACTORS PTY. LTD.. WAS VALUED AT $184 MILLION AND BRINGS THE TOTAL COST OF THE CORRIDOR TO $1,76 BILLION.
THE WORK IN THIS CONTRACT INVOLVES CONSTRUCTION OF AN 800-METRE- LONG DUAL TWO-LANE ELEVATED ROAD FROM SHAU KEI WAN, WHERE THE CORRIDOR AT PRESENT ENDS, ALONG THE EASTERN SIDE OF ALDRICH BAY THROUGH A KUNG Ngam to LYEMUN BARRACKS, AND A 1.6-KILOMETRE DUAL TWO-LANE GROUND-LEVEL ROAD RUNNING THROUGH LYEMUN BARRACKS ALONG THE WESTERN SIDE OF THE HENG FA CHUEN DEVELOPMENT TO WING TAI INTERCHANGE.
SLIP ROADS WILL ALSO BE BUILT TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO THE CORRIDOR FROM A KUNG NGAM, HENG FA CHUEN DEVELOPMENT AND WING TAI ROAD,
LOCAL SERVICE ROADS WILL BE PROVIDED AT A KUNG NGAM TO IMPROVE TRAFFIC CIRCULATION IN THE AREA.
THE FIRST SECTION OF THE CORRIDOR, PROBABLY HONG KONG'S MOST ANDITIOUS ROAD PROJECT TO DATE, OPENED IN JUNE, 1984, AND RAN FROM CAUSEWAY BAY TO TAIKOO SHING. THE SECOND STAGE FROM TA IKOO SHING TO SHAU KEI WAN, OPENED JUST OVER A YEAR LATER. THE SHORT SECTION FROM WING TAI INTERCHANGE TO CHAI WAN HAS BEEN
IN USE SINCE JUNE, 1985.
THE CORRIDOR HAS RELIEVED TRAFFIC CONGESTION IN THE EASTERN PART OF HONG KONG ISLAND BY PROVIDING AN ALTERNATIVE TO TRAVELLING ALONG KING'S ROAD AND SHAU KEI WAN ROAD, TRAFFIC ALONG THESE TWO ROADS NOW RUNS SMOOTHLY IN COMPARISON TO THE SITUATION IN THE LATE 1970'S AND EARLY 1980'S.
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