XN000022-1977-10-20 — Page 4

-

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1977

WORK ON $400M COASTAL HIGHWAY STARTS SOON

*****

THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT WILL BEGIN WORK SHORTLY ON THE FIRST STAGE OF THE $400 MILLION-PLUS COASTAL ROAD BETWEEN CAUSEWAY BAY AND SHAU KEI WAN.

TENDERS FOR THE WORK WERE INVITED TODAY BY THE HIGHWAYS OFFICE OF THE P.W.D.

MR. T.S. NG, CHIEF ENGINEER OF THE CONSULTANTS MANAGEMENT DIVISION OF THE HIGHWAYS OFFICE, SAID THAT THE WORK WOULD CONSIST OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF A 390-METRES SEAWALL AND THE RECLAMATION OF THE NORTH-EASTERN CORNER OF THE CAUSEWAY BAY TYPHOON SHELTER.

+REPROVISIONING OF EXISTING FACILITIES ON THE NEW RECLAMATION INCLUDES THE CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW TWO-STOREY DEPOT BUILDING FOR THE PORT WORKS DIVISION OF THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT AND A VEHICULAR RAMP FOR OFF-LOADING OF REFUSE FOR THE URBAN COUNCIL,+ HE SAID.

WORK ON THIS CONTRACT WILL BEGIN IN DECEMBER AND WILL TAKE ABOUT 18 MONTHS TO COMPLETE.

+ON COMPLETION, SUFFICIENT SPACE WILL BE PROVIDED FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF STAGE ONE OF THE COASTAL ROUTE, KNOWN AS HONG KONG ISLAND EASTERN CORRIDOR, AT THE EASTERN END OF THE CAUSEWAY BAY TYPHOON ANCHORAGE, + MR. NG SAID.

MR. NG SAID THAT THE FIRST STAGE OF THE SCHEME CONSISTED OF A TWO-KILOMETRE ELEVATED ROAD RUNNING ALONG THE WATERFRONT FROM VICTORIA PARK TO NORTH POINT.

+ IT IS BEING DESIGNED AS A FAST, HIGH-CAPACITY ROUTE WHICH WILL TAKE MUCH OF THE PRESSURE OFF EXISTING ROADS IN THE AREA PARTICULARLY KING'S ROAD AND PROVIDE FAST AND CONVENIENT ACCESS BETWEEN THE TWO DISTRICTS,+ HE SAID.

+THE NEW HIGHWAY WILL HAVE SIX LANES THREE LANES FOR TRAFFIC IN EACH DIRECTION AND WILL HAVE A CAPACITY OF ABOUT 6,000 CARS AN HOUR.+

THERE WILL BE TWO MAJOR INTERCHANGES AT EACH END OF THE HIGH- WAY -- ONE AT THE CAUSEWAY BAY END GIVING ACCESS TO VICTORIA PARK ROAD, AND ANOTHER AT THE NORTH POINT END WITH SLIP ROADS TO JAVA ROAD AND KING'S ROAD.

MR. NG POINTED OUT THAT THE MAJOR SECTIONS OF THE HIGHWAY WOULD BE RUNNING OVER THE SEA AND SOME 75 PIERS WOULD BE REQUIRED TO SUPPORT THE ELEVATED DECK STRUCTURE.

/4