XN000022-1979-04-12 — Page 24

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THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 1979

AIRPORT TUNNEL CONTRACT

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THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT TODAY (THURSDAY) AWARDED A $47 MILLION CONTRACT TO MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION FOR THE PROVISION OF ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL SERVICES FOR THE AIRPORT TUNNEL AND ITS WESTERN APPROACHES.

THE CONTRACT WAS FORMALLY SIGNED THIS AFTERNOON BY DR. Y.L. CHOI, CHIEF ENGINEER OF PWD'S HIGHWAYS OFFICE, AND MR. G. FUKUDA, DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER OF THE COMPANY.

DR. CHOI SAID THE CONTRACT WOULD INVOLVE THE INSTALLATION OF TUNNEL LIGHTING AND VENTILATION FANS.

+THE TUNNEL LIGHTING HAS BEEN DESIGNED TO CATER FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF CONDITION OUTSIDE THE TUNNEL WHILE THE VENTILATION FANS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PROVIDING 15,500 CUBIC METRES OF FRESH AIR PER MINUTE IN EACH OF THE TWO TUNNEL TUBES, HE SAID.

+ IN ADDITION, THERE WILL BE A STANDBY DIESEL GENERATOR WHICH WILL PROVIDE ELECTRICITY IN THE EVENT OF A POWER FAILURE.+

WORK WILL BEGIN LATER THIS MONTH AND WILL TAKE ABOUT 18 MONTHS TO COMPLETE.

MEANWHILE, WORK ON THE EAST KOWLOON WAY AN ELEVATED ROADWAY ALONG CHATHAM ROAD AND KOWLOON CITY ROAD, THE WUHU INTERCHANGE AND THE SAN SHAN INTERCHANGE, WHICH TOGETHER FORM THE WESTERN APPROACHES TO THE AIRPORT TUNNEL HAS PASSED THE HALF-WAY MARK.

WORK ON THE EASTERN APPROACHES, INCLUDING A 260-METRE DUAL TWO-LANE CARRIAGEWAY CONNECTING THE EAST PORTAL OF THE AIRPORT TUNNEL WITH AN ALREADY CONSTRUCTED SECTION OF ROAD ON THE KOWLOON BAY RECLAMATION, IS 30 PER CENT COMPLETE.

DR. CHOI SAID THE 200-METRE AIRPORT TUNNEL FORMED PART OF ROUTE 3 - A SIX-KILOMETRE HIGH CAPACITY ROUTE BETWEEN KWUN TONG AND HUNG HOM.

THE $300 MILLION ROAD SCHEME WOULD, ON COMPLETION, SPEED UP TRAFFIC BETWEEN KWUN TONG AND URBAN KOWLOON.

THIS CONTRACT HAS BEEN DESIGNED AND WORK WILL BE SUPERVISED BY MAUNSELL CONSULTANTS ASIA ON BEHALF OF THE HIGHWAYS OFFICE OF PWD.

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