XN000022-1976-08-03 — Page 2

TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 1976

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CANAL ROAD FLYOVER EXTENSION

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THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT IS ABOUT TO BEGIN CONSTRUCTION WORK ON HONG KONG'S LONGEST FLYOVER TO DATE.

THIS IS THE CANAL ROAD FLYOVER EXTENSION WHICH WILL SPAN SOME 1,170 METRES FROM WATERFRONT ROAD TO THE ENTRANCE OF THE PROPOSED ABERDEEN TUNNEL WITHIN THE COLONIAL CEMETERY AT HAPPY VALLEY.

WORK ON THE MAIN CONTRACT, WORTH NEARLY $62 MILLION, WILL BEGIN IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS AND SHOULD BE COMPLETED IN ABOUT THREE AND A HALF YEARS. THE ENTIRE PROJECT, WHICH INVOLVES OTHER ANCILLARY WORKS AND LAND ACQUISITION, WILL COST SOME $85 MILLION.

THE MAIN CONTRACT FOR THE WORKS HAS BEEN AWARDED TO GAMMON (H.K) LTD. AND WAS FORMALLY SIGNED IN THE P.W.D. HEADQUARTERS TODAY.

MR. WONG MANG-KI, ACTING PRINCIPAL GOVERNMENT HIGHWAY ENGINEER OF THE P.W.D.'S HIGHWAYS OFFICE SIGNED ON BEHALF OF THE GOVERNMENT, WITH MR. J.E. WARD, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF GAMMON, SIGNING FOR THE COMPANY.

APART FROM EASING CONGESTION IN HAPPY VALLEY AND WAN CHA! AREAS, THE FLYOVER HAS BEEN DESIGNED AS PART OF A MAJOR ROUTE LINKING KOWLOON AND ABERDEEN.

+IT WILL CONNECT THE CROSS-HARBOUR TUNNEL INTERCHANGE WITH THE PROPOSED ABERDEEN TUNNEL FORMING A HIGH CAPACITY ROUTE BETWEEN KOWLOON AND THE SOUTHERN PART OF H.K. ISLAND,+ SAID MR. WONG.

+WHEN THE SCHEME IS FULLY COMPLETED,+ HE ADDED, +IT SHOULD REDUCE TRAVELLING TIME BETWEEN KOWLOON AND ABERDEEN TO ABOUT 15 MINUTES.+

PREQUALIFYING TENDERS FOR THE ABERDEEN TUNNEL, WHICH WILL RUN FROM HAPPY VALLEY TO WONG CHUK HANG, ARE CURRENTLY BEING PROCESSED AND TENDERS FOR ITS CONSTRUCTION ARE EXPECTED TO BE INVITED SOON, HE SAID.

IT IS ENVISAGED THAT THE ABERDEEN TUNNEL WILL BE READY IN THE EARLY 1980'S.

MR. WONG SAID WORK ON THE CANAL ROAD FLYOVER EXTENSION WOULD BE CARRIED OUT IN THREE STAGES UNDER A COMPREHENSIVE WORKING PROGRAMME WHICH PROVIDED FOR MINIMAL INTERFERENCE WITH TRAFFIC FLOW DURING THE CONSTRUCTION STAGE.

+AT SOME STAGES IT WILL OF COURSE BE NECESSARY TO INTRODUCE TRAFFIC DIVERSIONS BUT EVERY EFFORT WILL BE MADE TO KEEP TRAFFIC MOVING WHILE WORK IS IN PROGRESS, + HE SAID.

THE EXTENDED FLYOVER WILL RUN FROM CANAL ROAD FOLLOWING THE LINE OF LEIGHTON ROAD, MORRISON HILL ROAD AND WONG NAI CHUNG ROAD TO THE ABERDEEN TUNNEL NORTHERN ENTRANCE JUST BEYOND THE CEMETERIES.

THE FLYOVER