XN000022-1978-04-11 — Page 7

TUESDAY, APRIL 11, 1978

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DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING VISITS PWD WORK SITES

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THE DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT OF THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, MR. DAVID STEAD, THIS AFTERNOON TOURED PWD WORK SITES ON HONG KONG ISLAND TO INSPECT THE PROGRESS OF VARIOUS PROJECTS.

HE WAS ACCOMPANIED BY CHIEF ENGINEER OF THE PORT WORKS DIVISION, MR. HOWARD CHAMBERLAIN CHIEF ENGINEER OF THE HIGHWAYS (HK) DIVISION, MR. HO KWOK-YU- CHIEF ENGINEER OF THE DRAINAGE WORKS DIVISION, MR. CHAN YAN AND CHIEF ENGINEER OF THE CONSULTANT MANAGEMENT DIVISION OF THE HIGHWAYS OFFICE, MR. CHOI YU-LEUK.

ONE OF THE SITES MR. STEAD VISITED WAS THE $280 MILLION ABERDEEN TUNNEL, ONE OF THE BIGGEST AND MOST AMBITIOUS HIGHWAY PROJECTS EVER UNDERTAKEN BY THE P.W.D.

HE WAS PLEASED WITH THE PROGRESS OF WORK ON THE TWIN-TUBE TUNNEL, WHICH WILL RUN NEARLY TWO KILOMETRES THROUGH THE HEART OF MOUNT NICHOLSON TO PROVIDE A THREE-MINUTE EXPRESS LINK BETWEEN HAPPY VALLEY AND ABERDEEN.

+SO FAR, TUNNELLING WORK HAS PROGRESSED 20 METRES FROM EACH OF THE NORTHERN PORTALS,+ MR. DEREK BARTLETT, CHIEF RESIDENT ENGINEER, SAID.

+MEANWHILE, LARGE SCALE DRAINAGE AT THE SOUTHERN END OF THE TUNNEL HAS BEEN SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETED WHILE GROUND FORMATION AND EMBANKMENT CONSTRUCTION ARE PROCEEDING SATISFACTORILY.

IN ADDITION, GROUT INJECTION WORK AT THE SOUTHERN PORTALS HAS JUST STARTED. IT WOULD TAKE SEVERAL MONTHS TO COMPLETE.

EARLIER, MR, STEAD VISITED THE FIRST STAGE OF WESTERN RECLAMATION NEAR WHITTY STREET TRAM TERMINUS.

THE PROJECT, WHEN COMPLETED, WOULD PROVIDE 10 HECTARES OF LAND FOR A CARGO-HANDLING AREA, THE WIDENING OF CONNAUGHT ROAD WEST AND FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF PART OF THE POK FU LAM/CONNAUGHT ROAD WEST LINK ROAD AND THE REPROVISIONING OF THE KENNEDY TOWN WHOLESALE MARKET.

OTHER SITES VISITED INCLUDED POK FU LAM ROAD WIDENING, ABERDEEN SEWAGE SCREENING PLANT, ABERDEEN RECLAMATION AND DEEP WATER BAY/REPULSE BAY SEWAGE TREATMENT AND DISPOSAL WORKS.