XN000022-1980-12-16 — Page 2

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1980

CONTRACT FOR ISLAND EASTERN CORRIDOR AWARDED

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THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT TODAY (TUESDAY) AWARDED THE LARGEST SINGLE HIGHWAY CONTRACT FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF STAGE ONE OF THE ISLAND EASTERN CORRIDOR.

THE CONTRACT, VALUED AT $485 MILLION, WENT TO COSTA IN-PEARSON BRIDGE JOINT VENTURE. IT WAS FORMALLY SIGNED BY MR CHAN NAI-KEONG, DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT OF PWD, AND REPRESENTATIVES OF THE COMPANY.

COSTA IN-PEARSON BRIDGE JOINT VENTURE WAS FORMED BY COSTAIN INTERNATIONAL LTD. AND PEARSON BRIDGE HONG KONG LTD.

AFTER THE CONTRACT SIGNING CEREMONY, MR CHAN SAID THAT WORK ON THE CONTRACT WOULD START IN JANUARY NEXT YEAR AND WOULD BE COMPLETED IN 1984.

ON COMPLETION, HE SAID, THE HIGHWAY WOULD PROVIDE A HIGH CAPACITY RELJEF ROUTE BETWEEN CAUSEWAY BAY AND NORTH POINT.

MR CHAN SAID, THE HIGHWAY WILL BE A 2.3-KILOMETRE ELEVATED ROAD, MOSTLY OVER WATER ALONG THE NORTHERN SHORE OF HONG KONG ISLAND.

+ IT WILL START FROM VICTORIA PARK ROAD IN CAUSEWAY BAY AND END AT HEALTHY STREET WEST IN NORTH POINT, WITH THE PROVISION FOR FUTURE EXTENSION TO TAIKOO SHING AND THEN TO SHAU KEI WAN.

+THE ELEVATED ROAD WILL LINK THE EXISTING ROAD NETWORK BY SLIP ROADS FROM HING FAT STREET IN CAUSEWAY BAY AND TONG SHUI ROAD IN NORTH POINT.

THE MAIN DECK OF THE ELEVATED ROAD WILL BE SUPPORTED BY ABOUT 80 SETS OF PIERS. THE DECK LEVEL WILL VARY FROM 12 METRES TO 18 METRES ABOVE WATER.

MR CHAN SAID ABOUT HALF OF THE LENGTH OF THE ELEVATED ROAD WOULD BE A DUAL FOUR-LANE CARRIAGEWAY AND THE REMAINING SECTION WOULD BE A DUAL THREE-LANE CARRIAGEWAY.

+ THE NEW ROAD WILL HAVE A CAPACITY OF 10 000 VEHICLES PER HOUR, NEARLY TREBLING THAT OF KING'S ROAD, HE ADDED.

REFERRING TO STAGE TWO OF THE CORRIDOR, MR CHAN SAID, IT WOULD RUN FROM HEALTHY STREET WEST TO TAIKOO SHING, A MAJOR PART OF WHICH WOULD BE BUILT ON RECLAMATION.

WORK HAS BEGUN ON A 665-METRE SEAWALL OFF QUARRY BAY. ON COMPLETION, THE AREA BETWEEN THE SEAWALL AND THE EXISTING WATERFRONT AS WELL AS THE AREA IMMEDIATELY EAST TO THE SEAWALL WILL BE RECLAIMED TO PROVIDE ABOUT 30 HECTARES OF LAND FOR THE ROAD PROJECT AND LIGHT INDUSTRIAL AND CARGO HANDLING USES.

HE SAID +WORK ON STAGE TWO OF THE ROAD PROJECT IS PLANNED TO START AT THE END OF NEXT YEAR WHEN THE RECLAMATION IS SUFFICIENTLY COMPLETE.

/+IF EVERYTHING