1.
ACP projects forge ahead
The Airport Core Programme (ACP) has moved ahead rapidly on all fronts in the past 12 months as progress reaches almost the half way mark.
At the beginning of last month (December), the 10 projects in the ACP were 46 per cent complete.
Progress on the seven government-funded ACP Projects, including the massive Tsing Ma Bridge, was even more impressive with work passing the 75 per cent mark.
Said the Director of the New Airport Projects Co-ordination Office, Mr Billy Lam: "The ACP encompasses many superlatives largest this, longest that but for Hong Kong the most important thing is that this massive effort is both on schedule and within budget.
"There is little doubt in our mind that the seven government projects and the Western Harbour Crossing will be open for use by mid-1997.
"Our target remains that the first planes will be flying out of Hong Kong's new international airport at Chek Lap Kok in April 1998 and I am confident that the total cost will be within our budget of $158.2 billion."
Mr Lam added: "Last year has been a year of major milestones in the development of the Airport Core Programme and we are pleased that such remarkable progress has been made."
He said one of the important milestones reached was the Sino-British agreement on June 30, 1995 on the Financial Support Agreements for the airport and airport railway and the franchises for airport cargo services. The other was the establishment on December 1 of the Airport Authority (AA) chaired by Mr Wong Po-
yan.
ago.
The AA succeeded the Provisional Airport Authority (PAA) set up five years
On the same day the Government also signed a Financial Support Agreement (FSA) with the newly established authority,
All major franchisees are now able to finalise their own financial arrangements on the basis of the FSA.