XN000022-1976-10-07 — Page 2

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1976

SHING MUN BRIDGE COMPLETED

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THE NEW RAILWAY BRIDGE OVER THE SHING MUN RIVER AT SHA TIN HAS BEEN COMPLETED AND WILL OPEN TO REGULAR TRAIN SERVICES ON MONDAY (OCTOBER 11).

PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT WORKERS ARE NOW PUTTING THE FINAL TOUCHES TO THE BRIDGE BEFORE HANDING IT OVER TO THE KOWLOON-CANTON RAILWAY.

MR. VAL MANSFIELD, PROJECT ENGINEER OF THE P.W.D.'S RAILWAY DIVISION, SAID TODAY THE ONLY WORKS REMAINING WERE THE LAYING OF THE TRACKS TO RECONNECT THE SEVERED RAIL LINE.

+THIS IS NOW BEING CARRIED OUT BY THE K.C.R. AND SHOULD BE FINISHED BY SUNDAY WHEN WE WILL BE CONDUCTING A FINAL LOADING TEST BY PLACING A LOCOMOTIVE ON THE BRIDGE TO TEST

ITS STABILITY, HE SAID.

THE COMPLETION OF THE BRIDGE CULMINATES ABOUT SIX WEEKS OF ROUND-THE-CLOCK WORK UNDER A CRASH BUILDING PROGRAMME LAUNCHED BY THE P.W.D. FOLLOWING THE DESTRUCTION OF THE OLD RAILWAY BRIDGE DURING AUGUST'S RAINSTORMS,

THE NEW BRIDGE CONSISTS OF A TWO-SPAN STRUCTURE ABOUT 58 METRES LONG AND IS PARTLY BUILT OF STEEL AND PARTLY OF CONCRETE.

MR. MANSFIELD SAID THAT UNDER NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES THE BRIDGE WOULD HAVE BEEN BUILT ENTIRELY OF CONCRETE, BUT DUE TO THE URGENT NATURE OF THE WORK THE P.W.D. HAD HAD TO DEVISE SPECIAL MEANS TO COMPLETE THE BRIDGE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

+TO SAVE TIME, MOST OF THE NECESSARY BUILDING MATERIALS WERE BORROWED FROM OTHER PROJECTS. HOWEVER, THERE WERE NOT ENOUGH CONCRETE BEAMS READILY AVAILABLE AND THAT IS WHY WE HAD TO USE STEEL BEAMS FOR THE REST OF THE BRIDGE.

+ IF WE HAD WAITED FOR MORE CONCRETE BEAMS TO BE CAST, HE ADDED, THE BRIDGE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN COMPLETED FOR AT LEAST ANOTHER TWO WEEKS.+

MR. MANSFIELD SAID THAT THE P.W.D. WOULD SHORTLY BE CALLING TENDERS FOR A SECOND BRIDGE TO BE BUILT ALONGSIDE THE PRESENT ONE FOR THE PROPOSED DOUBLE-TRACKING OF THE RAILWAY.

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