XN000022-1977-05-20 — Page 2

FRIDAY, MAY 20, 1977

TUNNELLING BEGINS ON NEW

+GATEWAY TO SOUTH HONG KONG ISLAND+

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THE P.W.D.'S DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT, MR. DAVID STEAD SAID TODAY THE ABERDEEN TUNNEL WOULD PROVIDE A VITAL NEW GATEWAY TO THE SOUTHERN PART OF HONG KONG ISLAND AND FURTHER STIMULATE THE RAPID GROWTH OF THE AREA.

SPEAKING AT A GROUND-BREAKING CEREMONY MARKING THE START OF TUNNELLING WORKS FOR THE $370 MILLION PROJECT, HE SAID THE TUNNEL SHOULD OPEN UP NEW DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES AT ABERDEEN, WITH QUICK AND EASY ACCESS TO THE BUSINESS HEART OF HONG KONG.

→DURING THE PAST DECADE,+ HE SAID, WE HAVE SEEN MANY IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENTS ON THE SOUTHERN SIDE OF HONG KONG ISLAND SUCH AS THE LARGE HOUSING ESTATES AT WAH FU AND ABERDEEN, THE GROWTH OF FACTORIES AT WONG CHUK HANG AND RECENTLY THE OCEAN PARK.

+ALL THESE DEVELOPMENTS GENERATE RAPID TRAFFIC GROWTH WHICH CANNOT BE ACCOMMODATED BY THE EXISTING ROAD SYSTEM. AND BECAUSE OF THE DIFFICULT TERRAIN, FURTHER WIDENING OF STUBBS ROAD, WONG NEI CHONG ROAD OR POKFULAM ROAD WOULD NOT BE ECONOMICALLY POSSIBLE,+

THE SOLUTION, HE SAID, WAS THE ABERDEEN TUNNEL ONE OF THE BIGGEST AND MOST AMBITIOUS HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS EVER UNDERTAKEN BY THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT.

+WHEN IT IS COMPLETED IN 1980 THIS HIGH CAPACITY ROAD LINK WILL ENABLE MOTORISTS TO TRAVEL FROM ONE SIDE OF THE ISLAND TO THE OTHER IN A MATTER OF TEN MINUTES, HE SAID.

THE TUNNEL - THE FIRST TO BE DRIVEN ON HONG KONG ISLAND WOULD RUN NEARLY TWO KILOMETRES THROUGH THE HEART OF MIDDLE GAP BETWEEN THE PEAKS OF MOUNT CAMERON AND MOUNT NICHOLSON,

+ IT WILL HAVE TWO TUBES, EACH ACCOMMODATING TWO LANE, AND WILL BE ABLE TO HANDLE 2,400 VEHICLES IN EACH DIRECTION IN AN HOUR,+ SAID MR. STEAD.

IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE TUNNEL, WORK IS ALSO UNDERWAY ON THE CANAL ROAD FLYOVER EXTENSION WHICH WILL LINK UP THE NORTHERN PORTAL OF THE TUNNEL NEAR THE HAPPY VALLEY RACE COURSE WITH THE CROSS-HARBOUR TUNNEL AND THE WANCHA WATERFRONT ROAD SYSTEM.

/+IN THE