XN000022-1978-01-06 — Page 2

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 1978

WORK TO START SOON ON SECOND STAGE OF TUEN MUN HIGHWAY

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THE GOVERNMENT WILL SOON EMBARK ON THE SECOND STAGE OF THE TUEN MUN HIGHWAY PROJECT.

STAGE TWO OF THE PROJECT, COSTING AN ESTIMATED $82 MILLION, COMPRISES THE CONSTRUCTION OF A THREE-LANE CARRIAGEWAY,

IT ALSO INCLUDES OTHER ANCILLARY WORKS REQUIRED FOR THE COMPLETION OF THE DUAL CARRIAGEWAY PROJECT.

THE 15-KILOMETRE LONG TUEN MUN HIGHWAY WILL PROVIDE A HIGH CAPACITY ROUTE LINKING THE TWO EXPAND ING NEW TOWNS OF TSUEN WAN AND TUEN MUN.

THE MODERN HIGHWAY WILL BE OF CONSIDERABLE SIGNIFICANCE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF TUEN MUN, TSUEN WAN AND KWAI CHUNG, THE TUEN MUN DISTRICT OFFICER, MR. PÉTER NG, SAID TODAY.

MR. NG SAID THE PROJECT HAD BEEN SPECIALLY DESIGNED TO CATER FOR THE LARGE VOLUME OF TRAFFIC EXPECTED TO BE GENERATED BETWEEN THE TWO NEW TOWNS.

+ IT WILL MEAN A MARKED SAVING IN TRAVELLING TIME BETWEEN TSUEN WAN AND TUEN MUN CUTTING THE JOURNEY TO ABOUT 15 MINUTES,+ HE SAID.

TO MAKE WAY FOR SECOND STAGE OF THE PROJECT, THE GOVERNMENT WILL RESUME 5,858 SQUARE METRES OF AGRICULTURAL LAND AT SO KWUN WAT, SIU SO AND SIÚ LAM IN TUEN MUN. TWO MONTHS' NOTICE OF THE RESUMPTION WAS PUBLISHED IN TODAY'S GOVERNMENT GAZETTE.

MR. NG SAID THE GOVERNMENT WOULD PAY COMPENSATION FOR CROPS, FRUIT TREES, GRAVES, URNS, FENCES, PIPELINES AND WELLS, AS WELL AS EX-GRATIA ALLOWANCE FOR CULTIVATORS, DISPLACED PIG-BREEDERS AND POULTRY FARMERS.

THE LAND RESUMPTION WILL INVOLVE THE CLEARANCE OF 12 TEMPORARY DOMESTIC STRUCTURES AND 52 OTHER ANCILLARY TEMPORARY STRUCTURES.

+DEPENDING ON THE IR ELIGIBILITY, DISPLACED FAMILIES WILL BE OFFERED EITHER PUBLIC HOUSING OR SPACE IN A TEMPORARY HOUSING AREA IN TUEN MUN.

+GENUINE CULTIVATOR-FAMILIES WHO OPT FOR A RESITE OUTSIDE A LAYOUT WILL BE OFFERED AN EX-GRATIA REHABILITATION ALLOWANCE OF $5,000, BUT WILL FORFEIT THEIR PRIORITY FOR PUBLIC HOUSING,+ MR. NG SAID.

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