XN000022-1980-07-04 — Page 4

FRIDAY, JULY 4, 1980

WUHU INTERCHANGE

3

RELIEF FOR CONGESTED JUNCTION IN KOWLOON

******

MR DAVID STEAD, DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT, PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, TODAY (FRIDAY) OPENED THE WUHU INTERCHANGE WHICH FORMS PART OF THE $400 MILLION HIGH CAPACITY ROUTE BETWEEN THE CROSS HARBOUR TUNNEL AND KWUN TONG.

THE INTERCHANGE, COMPRISING MAINLY A 160-METRE-LONG VEHICULAR SUBWAY, WILL BE OPENED TO TRAFFIC FROM 10 AM TOMORROW.

SPEAKING AT THE OPENING CEREMONY, MR STEAD SAID THE $16 MILLION INTERCHANGE WOULD PROVIDE GRADE SEPARATION FOR RIGHT- TURNING TRAFFIC INTO HUNG HOM AREA VIA WUHU STREET FROM CHATHAM ROAD,

+THIS FACILITY, TOGETHER WITH SOME LOCAL WIDENING AT CHATHAM ROAD AND WUHU STREET, ENABLES FREE FLOWING CONDITION TO BE PROVIDED FOR TRAFFIC PASSING THROUGH THE JUNCTION OF CHATHAM ROAD AND WUHU STREET, HE SAID.

+AS A RESULT, THE CAPACITY OF THIS JUNCTION WILL BE INCREASED CONSIDERABLY, PROVIDING RELIEF TO WHAT IS ONE OF THE MOST CONGESTED JUNCTIONS IN THE KOWLOON AREA.+

REFERRING TO A PEDESTRIAN FOOTBRIDGE SYSTEM, ALSO PART OF THE INTERCHANGE, MR STEAD SAID IT WOULD NOT ONLY ENHANCE THE JUNCTION CAPACITY BY REMOVING THE CONFLICTS BETWEEN VEHICLE AND PEDESTRIAN MOVEMENTS, BUT ALSO WOULD PROVIDE A SAFE WAY FOR PEOPLE TO CROSS THE JUNCTION.

THE OPENING TODAY MARKS THE COMPLETION OF THE FIRST PART OF THE WESTERN APPROACHES TO THE AIRPORT TUNNEL WHICH COMPRISES THE WUHU INTERCHANGE, EAST KOWLOON WAY AND SAN SHAN INTERCHANGE, HE SAID.

EAST KOWLOON WAY IS ESSENTIALLY AN ELEVATED DUAL TWO-LANE ROADWAY OF ABOUT ONE KILOMETRES IN LENGTH IMMEDIATELY TO THE NORTH OF THE WUHU INTERCHANGE RUNNING ALONG CHATHAM ROAD AND KOWLOON CITY ROAD.

SAN SHAN INTERCHANGE IS BASICALLY A DEPRESSED ROADWAY JOINING THE EAST KOWLOON WAY AND THE AIRPORT TUNNEL.

WORK ON BOTH THE EAST KOWLOON WAY AND SAN SHAN INTERCHANGE IS IN AN ADVANCED STAGE AND EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED EARLY NEXT YEAR.

MR STEAD POINTED OUT THAT THE WESTERN APPROACHES FORMED A SECTION OF THE SIX-KILOMETRE HIGH CAPACITY ROUTE, KNOWN AS ROUTE 3.

THE OTHER SECTION CONSISTS OF A 1 200-METRE TUNNEL UNDERNEATH THE HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AND THE EASTERN CONNECTION WHICH LINKS THE EASTERN PORTAL OF THE TUNNEL WITH KWUN TONG.

ALL THE CIVIL WORK ON THE AIRPORT TUNNEL HAS BEEN COMPLETED WHILE THE ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL WORKS ARE IN HAND.

/IT IS