XN000022-1975-03-16 — Page 5

SUNDAY MARCH 16, 1975

WORK ON ABERDEEN PILOT TUNNEL PROGRESSING

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WHEN YOU DRIVE ALONG MOUNT NICHOLSON ROAD IN THE MID-LEVELS, TRY TO IMAGINE TEAMS OF WORKERS BUSY DRILLING AND BLASTING A TUNNEL SOME 650 FEET BENEATH YOU.

THIS IS NO FANTASY. THE WORKERS ARE ON THE ABERDEEN PILOT TUNNEL PROJECT AND THEY HAVE NOW PROGRESSED NEARLY HALF A MILE FROM THE HAPPY VALLEY END OF THE TUNNEL AND ARE HEADING QUICKLY TOWARDS THE OTHER END AT ABERDEEN.

ACCORDING TO A PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN, WORK ON THE PROJECT HAS BEEN PROCEEDING ON SCHEDULE AND IS EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED IN AUGUST THIS YEAR.

THE $6 MILLION PILOT PROJECT WAS UNDERTAKEN TO INVESTIGATE THE ROCK AND SOIL CONDITIONS ALONG THE PROPOSED TUNNEL ALIGNMENT, AND TO FORESTALL PROBLEMS THAT MIGHT ARISE WHEN ACTUAL WORK ON THE TUNNEL BEGINS.

THE PILOT TUNNEL IS ABOUT SEVEN AND A HALF FEET HIGH AND FIVE FEET WIDE. TO ADVANCE A METRE, OR A LITTLE MORE THAN A YARD SOME 40 LBS OF DYNAMITE ARE REQUIRED TO BLAST THE ROCK SURFACE.

ABOUT 25 TONS OF THE DYNAMITE WOULD HAVE BEEN USED BY THE TIME THE TUNNEL IS BROKEN THROUGH, AND TEAMS OF WORKERS ARE NOW WORKING ROUND THE CLOCK TO BURROW" THROUGH THE OTHER HALF OF THE 1,2 MILE TUNNEL.

WHILE THEY ARE WORKING UNDERGROUND, ROCK SAMPLES ARE REGULARLY TAKEN OUT FOR ANALYSIS BY LOCAL AND OVERSEAS LABORATORIES. SO FAR, MOST OF THE SPECIMENS WERE FOUND TO BE GRANITE AND VOLCANIC ROCKS WHICH SHOULD NOT PRESENT ANY MAJOR DIFFICULTY IN THE TUNNELING WORK,

THE ABERDEEN TUNNEL WILL TAKE ABOUT FIVE YEARS TO BUILD ONCE OFFICIAL APPROVAL IS GIVEN. ON COMPLETION, IT WILL HAVE TWO TUBES WITH TWO LANES EACH FOR VEHICULAR TRAFFIC, AND WILL GREATLY SHORTEN TRAVELLING TIME BETWEEN THE NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN PARTS OF HONG KONG ISLAND.