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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1990
"OVER 1,000 COPIES OF THE DOCUMENTS DESCRIBING THE PROJECT AND STATING QUITE CLEARLY THAT WE WOULD CALL FOR TENDERS IN SEPTEMBER WAS DISTRIBUTED TO INTERESTED PARTIES," HE SAID.
COMMENTING ON OTHER TRANSPORT LINKS, MR LAM POINTED OUT THAT THE TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURES SET IN PLACE FOR THE PORT AND AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT ALSO FORMED AN INTEGRAL PART OF AN OVERALL TRANSPORT STRATEGY MAPPED OUT FOR THE TERRITORIAL NEEDS OF HONG KONG IN THE NEXT DECADE.
THE MAJOR NORTH-SOUTH ROAD SYSTEM PLANNED IS THE ROUTE 3 A 30-KILOMETRE LONG EXPRESSWAY LINKING SAI YING PUN ON HONG KONG ISLAND WITH THE LOK MA CHAU BRIDGE VIA THE WESTERN PART OF THE TERRITORY.
THE
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE OF ROUTE 3, NOT ONLY IN TERMS
OF MEETING THE TRAFFIC DEMANDS OF HONG KONG, BUT ALSO IN TERMS OF MOVING PEOPLE AND GOODS ACROSS THE CHINA-HONG KONG BORDER.
"IT IS A VITAL LINK FOR THE ECONOMIC WELL-BEING OF HONG KONG AS WELL AS SOUTHERN CHINA, PARTICULARLY BEARING IN MIND THAT SOME TWO MILLION CHINESE WORKERS ARE HELPING HONG KONG MANUFACTURERS WITH OUTWARD PROCESSING ACTIVITIES IN THE PEARL RIVER DELTA REGION, MR LAM SAID.
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THE LANTAU FIXED CROSSING PROVIDES THE ONLY LAND ACCESS ΤΟ LANTAU ISLAND TO SERVE THE NEW AIRPORT AS WELL AS THE NEW PORT AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENTS ON LANTAU.
THE CENTREPIECE OF THE LINK
IS THE TSING MA BRIDGE, A 1,377-METER SUSPENSION BRIDGE WHICH CONNECTS TO ANOTHER SMALLER BRIDGE ACROSS THE KAP SHUI MUN CHANNEL, TO LINK MA WAN ISLAND WITH THE NORTH LANTAU EXPRESSWAY AND THEN TO THE NEW AIRPORT AT CHEK LAP KOK.
OTHER THAN ROAD INFRASTRUCTURES TO SERVE THE NEW AIRPORT AT LANTAU, AN AIRPORT-RAILWAY WAS NEEDED IN THE LONG TERM TO LINK UP WITH THE CITY CENTRES, MR LAM STRESSED.
HE SAID THE QUESTION OF TIMING, THE ALIGNMENT AND FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS WERE MATTERS NOW BEING STUDIED BY CONSULTANTS. THE GOVERNMENT WOULD TAKE A DECISION AFTER STUDYING THEIR REPORTS AND AFTER CONSIDERING ALL THE RELEVANT FACTORS, MR LAM ADDED.
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