XN000022-1979-02-25 — Page 7

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1979

$14M CHEUNG SHA-KEUNG SHAN ROAD IMPROVEMENT SCHEME

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THE $14 MILLION PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT SCHEME TO IMPROVE SOUTH LANTAU ROAD FROM CHEUNG SHA TO KEUNG SHAN HAS TAKEN ANOTHER MAJOR STEP FORWARD FOLLOWING THE COMPLETION OF THE THIRD STAGE OF THE PROJECT.

MR. S.C. CHEN, CHIEF ENGINEER OF PWD'S HIGHWAYS (NEW TERRITORIES) DIVISION, RECALLED THAT WORK ON THE PHASED IMPROVEMENTS TO SOUTH LANTAU ROAD FIRST BEGAN IN AUGUST 1976.

WORK ON THE FIRST OF FOUR STAGES, FROM CHEUNG SHA TO TONG FUK, WAS COMPLETED IN SEPTEMBER 1977.

THIS WAS FOLLOWED CLOSELY BY THE COMPLETION OF THE SECOND STAGE OF THE PROJECT FROM CHEUNG SHA FIRE STATION TO TUNG CHUNG ROAD WHICH WAS FINISHED ABOUT TWO MONTHS LATER.

THE JUST COMPLETED THIRD STAGE INVOLVES THE SECTION OF ROAD BETWEEN TONG FUK AND SHUI HAU.

WORK ON THE FOURTH STAGE FROM SHUI HAU TO SHEK PIK HAS REACHED THE HALF-WAY MARK AND IS EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED TOWARDS THE END OF THE YEAR.

MR. CHEN SAID THE ORIGINAL ROAD WAS NARROW AND WINDING WITH A NUMBER OF SHARP BENDS AND PASSING BAYS.

HE ADDED THAT THE IMPROVEMENTS MAINLY INVOLVED WIDENING THE ROAD TO 7.3 METRES OR TWO TRAFFIC LANES AND CUTTING SHARP BENDS. THE ALIGNMENT AND GRADIENT WERE ALSO IMPROVED.

THE ENTIRE SCHEME, COVERING ABOUT SEVEN KILOMETRES OF ROAD, WILL TAKE JUST OVER THREE YEARS TO COMPLETE.

MR. CHEN DISCLOSED THAT TWO MORE STAGES WERE BEING PLANNED, THE FIRST COVERING THE SECTION OR ROAD FROM SHEK PIK TO THE 11-MILESTONE, SOUTH LANTAU ROAD, AND THE SECOND FROM THE 11- MILESTONE, SOUTH LANTAU ROAD, TO KEUNG SHAN.

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