FRIDAY, JULY 9, 1993
YUEN LONG HIGHWAY FORMS VITAL
PART OF NORTHWEST NT ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE
THE SUBSTANTIAL COMPLETION OF THE YUEN LONG HIGHWAY BEWTEEN YUEN LONG AND THE NORTHERN PART OF TUEN MUN FORMS A VITAL PART OF THE ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDED TO SUPPORT THE CONTINUING DEVELOPMENT OF THE NORTHWEST NEW TERRITORIES, THE SECRETARY FOR TRANSPORT, MR YRUNG KAI-YIN, SAID TODAY (FRIDAY).
SPEAKING AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE SIX-KILOMETRE HIGHWAY TO THE EAST OF CASTLE PEAK ROAD, MR YEUNG SAID THE HIGH-CAPACITY ROUTE OF EXPRESSWAY STANDARD LINKED THE THREE NEW TOWNS OF YUEN LONG, TIN SHUI WAI AND TUEN MUN.
"THE NEW ROAD WILL REDUCE THE AVERAGE JOURNEY TIMB BETWEEN YUEN LONG AND TUEN MUN FROM OVER 20 MINUTES TO ABOUT SEVEN MINUTES, AND WILL RELIEVE THE LONG-STANDING CONGESTION PROBLEM IN THE PARALLEL SECTION OF CASTLE PEAK ROAD," HE SAID.
JOINTLY OFFICIATING AT THE CEREMONY WAS LEGISLATIVE COUNCILLOR, MR ZACHARY WONG. THE DIRECTOR OF HIGHWAYS, MR KWEI SEE-KAN, WAS PRESENT.
ALSO
THE $850 MILLION PROJECT HAS BEEN DESIGNED AND SUPERVISED BY HIGHWAYS DEPARTMENT AND IS THE LARGEST ROAD PROJECT EVER UNDERTAKEN BY THE IN-HOUSE STAFF OF THE DEPARTMENT.
THE GOOD PROGRESS ACHIEVED BY THE CONTRACTORS HAS ENABLED THE PROJECT TO BE COMPLETED SOME TWO MONTHS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE.
THE MAIN WORKS HAVE TAKEN THREE YEARS ΤΟ COMPLETE AND HAVE INVOLVED THE CONSTRUCTION OF A DUAL TWO-LANE CARRIAGEWAY, THREE INTERCHANGES, 18 BRIDGES AND NINE PEDESTRIAN SUBWAYS.
MR YEUNG POINTED OUT THAT SPECIAL ATTENTION WAS GIVEN TO THE IMPROVEMENT OF DRAINAGE FACILITIES AND MEETING ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS.
WORK ON THE YUEN LONG SOUTHERN BYPASS IS EXPECTED TO BK COMPLETED BY OCTOBER 1994.
THE YUEN LONG SOUTHERN BYPASS WILL EXTEND THE YURN LONG HIGHWAY NORTHWARDS TO CONNECT WITH CASTLE PEAK ROAD NEAR THE POK OI HOSPITAL, THUS ALLOWING THROUGH TRAFFIC TO BYPASS THE YUEN LONG TOWN CENTRE, HE SAID.
LOOKING AHEAD, MR YEUNG SAID THE GOVERNMENT HAD FURTHER PLANS TO IMPROVE ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE NORTHWEST NEW TERRITORIES, BY PROVIDING CLIMBING LANES IN THE TUEN MUN HIGHWAY AND ARRANGING CONSTRUCTION OF THE COUNTRY PARK SECTION OF ROUTE 3 FROM TSING YI TO YUEN LONG.
"WITH THE NEW RAIL LINK WHICH IS ALSO BEING CONSIDERED ΤΟ CONNECT WITH THE URBAN AREA, THIS WILL SERVE THE TRANSPORT NEEDS OF THE NORTHWEST NEW TERRITORIES WELL INTO THE NEXT CENTURY, HE ADDED.
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/THE EXPRESSWAY,
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