XN000022-1978-07-18 — Page 2

TUESDAY, JULY 18, 1978

PROPOSED LANTAU FIXED CROSSING

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THE POSSIBILITY OF LINKING LANTAU ISLAND WITH THE KOWLOON MAINLAND MOVED ONE STEP CLOSER TO REALISATION TODAY.

THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT SIGNED UP CONSULTANTS TO INVESTIGATE WHETHER GOVERNMENT COULD EMBARK ON WHAT WOULD BE THE LARGEST AND MOST AMBITIOUS HIGHWAYS PROJECT EVER IN HONG KONG.

THE AGREEMENT WAS FORMALLY SIGNED TODAY BY MR. DAVID STEAD, DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT, ON BEHALF OF THE GOVERNMENT AND MR. GRAHAM SHUTTER, RESIDENT PARTNER OF MOTT, HAY AND ANDERSON FAR EAST.

MOTT, HAY AND ANDERSON FAR EAST IN ASSOCIATION WITH PER HALL CONSULTANTS LTD., HARRIS AND SUTHERLAND FAR EAST AND L.G. MOUCHEL AND PARTNERS (ASIA) MAKE UP THE ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS GROUP OF HONG KONG WHICH HAS BEEN FORMED SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS PROJECT.

BETWEEN NOW AND FEBRUARY NEXT YEAR ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS GROUP OF HONG KONG WILL BE STUDYING THE FEASIBILITY OF LINKING THE MAINLAND AT TSUEN WAN WITH TSING YI ISLAND, AND THEN TO MA WAN, AND FINALLY LANTAU.

THE PROPOSAL IS TO PROVIDE ROAD ACCESS TO AN AREA THAT CONTAINS, IN THE WORDS OF THE GOVERNOR IN HIS ADDRESS TO LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL IN 1973, +AMPLE ROOM FOR BADLY NEEDED ADDITIONAL SITES FOR INDUSTRY AND RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT. +

THE SCOPE OF THE PROJECT IS ENORMOUS.

INITIALLY IT IS A FOUR-LANE FIXED CROSSING LINKING LANTAU WITH THE MAINLAND. IT COMPRISES:

* A BRIDGE ACROSS RAMBLER CHANNEL TO TSING YI ISLAND=

+

* A BRIDGE, OR TUNNEL, FROM TSING YI TO MA WAN ISLAND AND

* A ERIDGE 'BETWEEN MA WAN AND LANTAU ACROSS KAP SHUI MUN

THERE WOULD ALSO BE:

*

*

CONNECTIONS FOR THE FIRST STAGE ONTO THE ROAD SYSTEM AT TSUEN WAN=

A ROAD ON TSING YI ISLAND LINKING THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN TSUEN WAN AND TSING YI AND TSING YI AND MA WAN=

* A ROAD ACROSS MA WAN JOINING THE LINK BETWEEN TSING YI

AND MA WAN, AND LANTAU ISLAND AND

*

APPROACHES TO THE MA WAN-LANTAU BRIDGE, INCLUDING CONNECTIONS TO THE FUTURE ROAD NETWORK OF NORTHERN LANTAU.

THE TOTAL