XN000022-1976-06-26 — Page 3

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SATURDAY, JUNE 26, 1976

MORE FLYOVERS TO BEAT CONGESTION

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THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT IS TO BUILD TWO FLYOVERS AT THE BUSY GARDEN ROAD ROUNDABOUT TO COPE WITH THE INCREASING VOLUME OF TRAFFIC IN THE MID-LEVELS AREA.

MR. CHOW CHE-KING, CHIEF ENGINEER OF THE P.W.D.'S HIGHWAYS OFFICE, SAID TODAY WORK ON THE PROJECT WOULD START IN AUGUST AND SHOULD BE COMPLETED IN 18 MONTHS.

+THE AIM IS TO SEPARATE THE MAIN STREAMS OF TRAFFIC SO AS TO ENABLE CONTINUOUS FREE FLOWING MOVEMENT AND AVOID LONG QUEUES DURING PEAK HOURS,+ HE SAID.

THE JUNCTION, HE SAID, WAS FAST NEARING SATURATION POINT AND IT HAD ALREADY BECOME NECESSARY TO STOP TRAFFIC MOVEMENT FROM ROBINSON ROAD TO MAGAZINE ROAD DURING RUSH HOURS TO EASE CONGESTION.

ACCORDING TO TRAFFIC SURVEYS CONDUCTED BY THE HIGHWAYS OFFICE SOME 2,600 VEHICLES PASS THROUGH THE JUNCTION DURING THE MORNING PEAK HOUR AND OVER 2,700 DURING THE EVENING RUSH HOUR.

ONE OF THE FLYOVERS, MR. CHOW SAID, WOULD BE ABOUT 110 METRES LONG LINKING ONE LANE OF MAGAZINE GAP ROAD TO THE NORTHBOUND LANE OF GARDEN ROAD.

+THIS WILL ENABLE MOTORISTS COMING DOWN MAGAZINE GAP ROAD TO CONTINUE DIRECTLY TO CENTRAL VIA GARDEN ROAD WITHOUT HAVING TO MERGE WITH TRAFFIC COMING UPHILL FROM GARDEN ROAD AS AT PRESENT.

+THE OTHER FLYOVER WILL BE 138 METRES LONG LINKING THE EASTBOUND LANE OF ROBINSON ROAD ACROSS THE JUNCTION TO MAGAZINE GAP ROAD WHICH WILL ALSO BE WIDENED TO INCREASE

ITS CAPACITY,+ HE SAID.

TENDERS FOR THE FLYOVER COMPLEX ARE BEING INVITED AND BUILDING WORK SHOULD BEGIN IN AUGUST.

MR. CHOW SAID THE SCHEME WAS ONE OF SEVERAL LONG TERM SCHEMES PLANNED BY P.W.D. ROAD PLANNERS TO IMPROVE TRAFFIC FLOW IN THE MID-LEVELS,

THESE INCLUDE A FLYOVER WITH AN ELEVATED NETWORK OF PEDESTRIAN WALKWAYS AT THE JUNCTION OF GARDEN ROAD AND QUEENSWAY.

+ IT IS ENVISAGED THAT THIS FLYOVER WILL PROVIDE A DIRECT LINK FROM GARDEN ROAD TO QUEENSWAY NEAR THE MURRAY ROAD MULTI-STOREY CARPARK WITHOUT INTERRUPTING THE GROUND LEVEL TRAFFIC AND SHOULD CONSIDERABLY IMPROVE TRAFFIC FLOW AT THE BUSY JUNCTION OF GARDEN ROAD, QUEENSWAY AND MURRAY ROAD,+ HE SAID.

DETAILED PLANNING WAS ALSO PROCEEDING ON ANOTHER FLYOVER COMPLEX AT THE ROBINSON ROAD, GLENEALY ROAD AND OLD PEAK ROAD JUNCTION, HE ADDED.

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