XN000022-1976-11-20 — Page 2

-

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1976

OPENING OF CHING CHEUNG ROAD EXTENSION

******

THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT HAS COMPLETED THE FINAL LINK IN A MAJOR $190 MILLION ROAD NETWORK IN KOWLOON DESIGNED TO CUT TRAVELLING TIME BETWEEN KWUN TONG AND KWAI CHUNG.

THE NEW ROUTE KNOWN AS ROUTE 4 - STRETCHES ABOUT EIGHT KILOMETRES ALONG THE KOWLOON FOOTHILLS, PROVIDING DIRECT AND FAST ACCESS BETWEEN THE DENSELY POPULATED AREAS OF KWUN TONG AND KOWLOON CITY IN THE EAST AND THE RAPIDLY EXPANDING INDUSTRIAL TOWNSHIPS AT KWAI CHUNG AND TSUEN WAN IN THE WEST.

THE LAST SECTION, INVOLVING THE EXTENSION OF CHING CHEUNG ROAD FROM BUTTERFLY VALLEY INTERCHANGE TO KWAI CHUNG ROAD, WAS COMPLETED BY THE P.W.D.'S HIGHWAYS OFFICE LAST WEEK AND WILL BE OFFICIALLY OPENED ON TUESDAY BY LEGISLATIVE COUNCILLOR, MR. FRANCIS TIEN.

MR. C.K. CHOW, CHIEF P.W.D. ENGINEER OF THE HIGHWAYS OFFICE, CONSULTANTS MANAGEMENT DIVISION, SAID THAT ALTOGETHER 13 CONTRACTORS HAD BEEN ENGAGED IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ROUTE 4. MORE THAN 20 SEPARATE CONTRACTS, VARYING FROM $1.5 MILLION TO $30 MILLION, WERE AWARDED BY THE P.W.D. FOR THE PROJECT.

+ IN ALL, NINE MAJOR INTERCHANGES HAD TO BE BUILT AS WELL AS 17 HIGHWAY STRUCTURES TO PROVIDE GRADE SEPARATION AND OVERCOME TOPOGRAPHIC PROBLEMS ALONG THE ROUTE,+ SAID MR. CHOW.

+TO CATER FOR SAFE PEDESTRIAN CROSSING, A SERIES OF FOOTBRIDGES AND SUBWAYS HAVE BEEN PROVIDED AT KEY LOCATIONS GIVING ACCESS OVER THE ROAD AND DOWN TO THE ADJACENT BUS BAYS,+ HE SAID.

ROUTE 4 SWEEPS NORTH FROM KWUN TONG ROAD AT CHOI HUNG ON A CONTINUOUS PRE-STRESSED CONCRETE VIA-DUCT, WITH TWO SMALLER BRIDGES BRANCHING OUT TO CARRY TRAFFIC BOUND FOR CLEARWATER BAY ROAD AND SAI KUNG.

FROM CHOI HUNG THE HIGHWAY RUNS AT GROUND LEVEL AS FAR AS PO KONG. MAJOR INTERCHANGES ARE PROVIDED AT FUNG MO AND PO KONG. AND PROVISION HAS BEEN MADE FOR A SIMILAR GRADE SEPARATED COMPLEX AT HAMMER HILL.

BEYOND PO KONG, THE ROAD RISES RAPIDLY TO THE ENTRANCE OF THE LION ROCK TUNNEL, WHERE ANOTHER INTERCHANGE IS PROVIDED.

FROM HERE TO CASTLE PEAK ROAD, ROUTE 4 SKIRTS THE STEEP HILLSIDES OF KOWLOON FOOTHILLS VIA LUNG CHEUNG ROAD LEADING UP TO NAM CHEONG INTERCHANGE.

/CONNECTIONS