FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 1993
11
MORE RESOURCES FOR TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE
**
GOVERNMENT WILL SPEND
THE
$7 BILLION ON TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE IN 1993/94 ON TOP OF ITS COMMITMENT TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF ROUTE 3 COUNTRY PARK SECTION AND ADDITIONAL CLIMBING LANES ON TUEN MUN HIGHWAY.
THIS WAS STATED BY THE SECRETARY FOR TRANSPORT, MR MICHAEL LEUNG, AT A PRESS CONFERENCE TODAY (FRIDAY) WHICH WAS ALSO ATTENDED BY THE COMMISSIONER FOR TRANSPORT, MR RAFAEL HUI AND THE DIRECTOR OF HIGHWAYS, MR S K KWET.
MR LEUNG SAID THE $7 BILLION FIGURE, WHICH INCLUDES EXPENDITURE ON HIGHWAY PROJECTS RELATED TO THE NEW AIRPORT AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE WESTERN PART OF THE TERRITORY, REPRESENTS AN 85 PER CENT INCREASE COMPARED WITH THE $3.8 BILLION FOR 1992/93.
ON ROUTE 3 COUNTRY PARK SECTION, MR LEUNG SAID GOVERNMENT'S PLEDGE ΤΟ CONTRIBUTE $4 BILLION (AT 1994 PRICES) WOULD MAKE THE PROJECT MORE ATTRACTIVE TO THE PRIVATE SECTOR.
EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST ARE BEING INVITED TODAY FROM THE PRIVATE SECTOR то PARTICIPATE IN THE PROJECT ON A BUILD-OPERATE- TRANSFER BASIS.
THE 13-KM ROAD WITH A DUAL THREE-LANE CARRIAGEWAY WILL RUN IN A NORTH-SOUTH DIRECTION FROM AU TAU NEAR YUEN LONG TO TSING YI.
THE PROJECT IS ESTIMATED TO COST ABOUT $11 BILLION AT 1994
PRICES, RXCLUDING LAND RESUMPTION COST AND OVERHEADS.
ᅡ
MR LEUNG SAID THE EXPRESSWAY WILL PROVIDE AN
ESSENTIAL
LINK
BETWEEN THE NORTHWEST NEW TERRITORIES AND THE URBAN AREAS AND WILL RELIEVE CONGESTION IN THE TUEN MUN AND CASTLE PEAK ROADS.
1
"IT WILL MEET TRANSPORT NEEDS ARISING FROM THE GROWTH IN CROSS- BORDER TRAFFIC AND NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN THE NORTHWEST NEW TERRITORIES, HE SAID.
Tt
THE EXPRESSWAY CONSISTS OF THE FOLLOWING THREE SECTIONS:
(1)
(2)
TING KAU BRIDGE A 700-METRE CABLE-STAYED BRIDGE WITH A 420-METRE MAIN SPAN ACROSS THE RAMBLER CHANNEL AND ABOUT 1,100 METRES OF VIADUCTS.
ΤΑΙ LAM TUNNEL A 3.4-KM TUNNEL. WITH THE SOUTHERN PORTAL LINKED WITH THE TING KAU INTERCHANGE AND THE NORTHERN PORTAL TO THE WEST OF HO PUT.
(3)
YUEN LONG APPROACH
AN 8-KM EXPRESSWAY AT GRADE CONNECTING THE NORTHERN PORTAL OF THE TAI LAM TUNNEL WITH THE NEW TERRITORIES CIRCULAR ROAD AT AU TAU.
A
TOLL PLAZA AND ADMINISTRATION BUILDING WILL BE PROVIDED PART OF THE PROJECT.
AS
/MR LEUNG