XN000022-1978-05-11 — Page 2

THURSDAY, MAY 11, 1978

MARKET TOWN DEVELOPMENT PROJECT

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THE $1,300 MILLION MARKET TOWN DEVELOPMENT PROJECT OF THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT HAS GOT OFF THE GROUND WITH THE SIGNING OF ITS FIRST CONTRACT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SHEK WU HUT EARLIER THIS WEEK.

THE CONTRACT, WORTH MORE THAN $18.8 MILLION, INVOLVED SITE FORMATION AND DRAINAGE WORKS IN THE SOUTH WESTERN PART OF SHEK WU HUI. IT WAS AWARDED TO SHIMIZU CONSTRUCTION CO. LTD. OF JAPAN.

MR. BOSCO KEOWN, ACTING CHIEF ENGINEER OF THE P.W.D.'S NEW TERRITORIES DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, SAID TODAY THAT THE PROJECT INVOLVED THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE MARKET TOWNS OF SHEK WU HUI AND FAN LING.

HE SAID WORK ON THE FIRST CONTRACT HAS ALREADY BEGUN

AND WOULD TAKE ABOUT 14 MONTHS TO COMPLETE.

IT WOULD INCLUDE THE FORMATION OF ABOUT 16 HECTARES OF LAND IN AN AREA FORMERLY OCCUPIED BY THE TANNERIES FOR PUBLIC HOUSING AND THE FIRST STAGE OF A MAJOR DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENT SCHEME.

MR. KEOWN POINTED OUT THAT PART OF THE LAND WHICH WOULD BE FORMED BY JULY WOULD INITIALLY BE USED AS A TEMPORARY HOUSING AREA TO ACCOMMODATE THE PEOPLE AFFECTED BY OTHER SHEK WU HUI AND FAN LING DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS WHICH WOULD BEGIN IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR.

THESE PROJECTS, HE ADDED, WOULD INCLUDE CONSTRUCTION

OF ROADS AND SEWAGE TREATMENT WORKS.

SITES WOULD ALSO BE PROVIDED FOR COMMUNITY FACILITIES SUCH AS SCHOOLS, MARKETS, A COMMUNITY CENTRE, HOSPITAL AND STADIUM.

MR. KEOWN EMPHASISED THAT THE OBJECT OF THE DEVELOPMENT WAS TO CREATE A BALANCED COMMUNITY IN THE TWO MARKET TOWNS FOR A DESIGNED POPULATION OF 168,000.

TENDERS FOR THE WORKS TO BE CARRIED OUT IN FAN LING WILL BE CALLED IN OCTOBER,

TO COPE WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SHEK WU HUI AND FAN LING AREAS, A FIVE-YEAR ROAD CONSTRUCTION PROGRAMME HAS BEEN DESIGNED.

WORK ON THE FIRST CONTRACT OF THIS PROGRAMME, INVOLVING THE RECONSTRUCTION OF A 2.420-MSTRE ROAD COVERING A SECTION OF JOCKEY CLUB ROAD AND TAI PO ROAD WILL BEGIN THIS AUTUMN AND WILL TAKE ABOUT TWO YEARS TO COMPLETE.

ON COMPLETION, THE ROAD WILL BE IMPROVED TO DUAL TWO-LANE CARRIAGEWAY WITH CYCLE-WAYS AND FOOTPATHS WHICH WILL BE LINKED TO SUBWAY OR FOOTER IDGE FACILITIES AT MAJOR ROAD INTERSECTIONS AND CROSSING POINTS IN THE AREA.

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