XN000022-1980-08-07 — Page 7

THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 1980

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CONTRACT SIGNED FOR LANTAU CROSSING INVESTIGATION

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THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT AWARDED A $5,2 MILLION CONTRACT FOR FURTHER SITE INVESTIGATION ON THE PROPOSED LANTAU FIXED CROSSING TO THE BACHY SOLETANCHE GROUP, OF FRANCE.

THE WORK, WHICH WILL PROVIDE DESIGN DATA FOR THE PROPOSED PROJECT, WILL TAKE ABOUT SIX MONTHS TO COMPLETE.

THE AGREEMENT WAS SIGNED THIS AFTERNOON BY MR LEE SHING-SEE, ACTING CHIEF ENGINEER OF THE CONSULTANTS MANAGEMENT DIVISION OF THE PWD'S HIGHWAYS OFFICE, AND MR HENRY F. MARCHINI OF THE COMPANY.

+ IF EVENTUALLY APPROVED, THE FIXED CROSSING PROJECT WILL COMPRISE TWO BRIDGES, BETWEEN TSING YI ISLAND AND MA WAN, AND OVER KAP SHUI MUN CHANNEL, SAID MR LEE.

+THERE WILL ALSO BE ASSOCIATED ROAD WORKS FROM TSING YI ISLAND TO THE NORTH-EASTERN PART OF LANTAU.+

HE SAID THAT THE CONSULTANTS WERE ASKED EARLIER THIS YEAR TO PROCEED WITH DETAILED DESIGN FOR THE PROJECT, AND THIS WAS EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED IN 1982.

+ THE SITE INVESTIGATION WORK UNDER TODAY'S CONTRACT WILL GIVE THE NECESSARY GEOTECHNICAL INFORMATION FOR THE DESIGN OF THE FOUNDATION STRUCTURES, THE HIGHWAY, AS WELL AS CUT AND FILL SLOPES ON THE BANKS, HE SAID.

+IT WILL INVOLVE THE SINKING OF A NUMBER OF DRILL HOLES BOTH VERTICALLY AND HORIZONTALLY IN SPECIFIC AREAS OF INTEREST ALONG THE ROUTE OF THE PROPOSED FIXED CROSSING, A LIMITED LAND BASED GEOPHYSICAL SEISMIC REFRACTION SURVEY, AND TESTING OF SOIL PROPERTIES.+

THE WORK HAS BEEN DESIGNED AND WILL BE SUPERVISED BY THE CONSULTING ENGINEERS, THE ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS GROUP. OF HONG KONG, ON BEHALF OF THE PWD'S HIGHWAYS OFFICE.

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