XN000022-1976-01-03 — Page 2

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 3, 1976

PROGRESS MADE IN SHA TIN DEVELOPMENT ******

STEADY PROGRESS IS BEING MADE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF SHA TIN NEW TOWN WHICH WILL EVENTUALLY HOUSE SOME 520,000 PEOPLE IN A MODERN SELF-CONTAINED TOWNSHIP INCORPORATING ALL ESSENTIAL SERVICES AND COMMUNITY FACILITIES.

CONSTRUCTION WORK UNDER STAGE ONE OF THE SCHEME IS PROGRESSING ON A BROAD FRONT AND WORK IS EXPECTED TO START SHORTLY ON TWO MAJOR PROJECTS FOR WHICH TENDERS HAVE BEEN CALLED BY THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT.

ONE OF THESE IS FOR A MULTI-MILLION-DOLLAR IMPROVEMENT SCHEME OF A THREE-KILOMETRE SECTION OF TAI PO ROAD BETWEEN TAI WAI AND FO TAN, WHICH FORMS PART OF THE MAJOR HIGHWAY NETWORK FOR THE NEW TOWN.

MR. GEORGE CHIEN, CHIEF ENGINEER OF THE P ̧W.D.'S SHA TIN NEW TOWN DEVELOPMENT OFFICE, SAID TODAY WORK ON THE DUAL TWO-LANE ROAD SHOULD START IN MARCH AND WOULD TAKE ABOUT 27 MONTHS TO COMPLETE.

THE IMPROVED ROAD WILL BE AN IMPORTANT LINK IN ROAD COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN KOWLOON AND SHA TIN AND WILL ALSO BENEFIT THROUGH TRAFFIC TO AND FROM AREAS IN THE NEW TERRITORIES NORTH OF SHA TIN.

+THE INTERESTS OF EXISTING VILLAGES AND ACCESS TO PROPERTIES IN THE AREA HAVE ALSO BEEN TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT. AND A NUMBER OF BRIDGES, FOOTBRIDGES AND PEDESTRIAN SUBWAYS WILL BE PROVIDED, HE SAID.

OF THE TWO BRIDGES TO BE BUILT, ONE WILL SPAN THE KOWLOON-CANTON RAILWAY TRACKS NEAR MILESTONE 48 AND THE OTHER WILL BE CONSTRUCTED ACROSS FO TAN NULLAH.

AS PART OF THE ROAD IMPROVEMENT WORKS AN ABUTMENT STRUCTURE WILL ALSO BE CONSTRUCTED IN CONNECTION WITH A FUTURE ROAD INTERSECTION NEAR SHA TIN RAILWAY STATION.

ABOUT TWO KILOMETRES OF A TRUNK SEWER. WHICH WILL FORM AN IMPORTANT SECTION OF THE MAIN SEWERAGE SYSTEM FOR THE NEW TOWN, WILL ALSO BE LAID,

MR. CHIEN SAID WORK WAS ALSO EXPECTED TO BEGIN IN FEBRUARY ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF ABOUT ONE KILOMETRE OF RIVER WALLS ALONG SHING MUN RIVER TO THE NORTH-EAST OF THE EXISTING SHA TIN BRIDGE.

/THE PITCHED