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It also opens up an era of three-lane tunnels and immersed tubes and long span bridges in the territory.
As far as non-ACP projects are concerned, the Highways Department is building many large-scale highway projects with a view to providing high standard roads and improving traffic circulation throughout the territory. Among them are the Smithfield Extension on Hong Kong Island, Hung Hom Bypass and Lung Cheung/Ching Cheung Road widening in Kowloon, and Route 3 Country Park Section and Ting Kau Bridge in the New Territories.
Mr Leung said the more long term projects being planned by the Highways Department included the Sham Tseng Link, widening of the Tolo Highway, improvement to Castle Peak Road, Route 9 from Tsing Yi to Lai Chi Kok, Route 16 from West Kowloon to Sha Tin, Central Kowloon Route, and the Central and Wan Chai Bypass.
In addition to road projects, the Highways Department also takes care of the development of railways in Hong Kong such as the Airport Railway and those planned in the Railway Development Strategy (RDS).
"The RDS has identified several railway projects for completion in the next century to improve railway services to rapid growing areas in Northwest New Territories, Tseung Kwan O and Ma On Shan. The Highways Department will continue to play an important role in the implementation of these projects," Mr Leung said.
Besides building new roads, flyovers and bridges, the Highways Department is also responsible for maintaining them in a safe and satisfactory condition for the user. About $600 million is spent every year to upkeep these roads.
Hong Kong's highways are among the most heavily used in the world. There are at present about 470,000 vehicles on about 1,700 kilometres of roads. The carrying out of maintenance work on these busy roads and at the same time maintaining traffic calls for very careful planning, good co-ordination and co- operation from all parties concerned.
To improve the efficiency of controlling and co-ordinating road openings by utility undertakers, the Highways Department is developing a computerised "Utility Management System" by which, application, co-ordination, processing and issuance of Excavation Permits can be done through computers. Utility companies can also obtain through the system information of road opening proposals by their counterparts, thereby enabling them better planning.