XN000022-1980-12-17 — Page 15

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1980

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STUBBS RD FLYOVER READY BY JULY

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THE DIRECTOR CF PUBLIC WORKS, THE HON DAVID MCDONALD, TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COV.SIL TODAY THAT THE STUBBS ROAD FLYOVER WAS EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED BY JULY 1901 WITH SECTIONS OF THE SCHEME BROUGHT INTO USE IN ADVANCE OF THAT DATE,

THE FIRST STAGE, WHICH IS THE WIDENED SECTION OF WONG NAI CHUNG GAP ROAD, WILL BE OPENED TO TRAFFIC IN JANUARY. THE WIDENED SECTION OF LOWER STUBES ROAD WILL BE AVAILABLE IN MAY AND THE MAIN JUNCTION FLYOVER IN JUHE.

ANSWERING A QUESTION FROM THE HON OSWALD CHEUNG MR MCDONALD ALSO SAID THAT THE APPROVED ESTIMATED COST OF THE PROJECT WAS $116 MILLION BUT SOME ADDITIONAL SLOPE PROTECTION WORKS IN THE LOWER STUBBS ROAD AREA COULD ADD TO THE FINAL COST. HE ESTIMATED THE COST FOR ADDITIONAL WORKS COULD BE OF THE ORDER OF $10 MILLION BRINGING THE OVERALL COST TO $126 MILLION.

MR MCDONALD SAID THAT WHILE THE NEW FIGURE WAS MUCH HIGHER THAN THE ESTIMATE OF $61 MILLION APPROVED AT THE TENDER STAGE OF THE PROJECT, THE ADDITIONAL COSTS ARE DUE TO MANY FACTORS. FACTORS WERE FLUCTUATIONS IN THE COSTS OF LABOUR AND MATERIALS

THESE (AMOUNTING TO $26.8 MILLION) SLOPE PROTECTION, AND MODIFIED FOUNDATION WORKS (WHICH TOGETHER ACCOUNT FOR A FURTHER $34.5 MILLION) AND INCREASED CONSULTANTS' FEES AND SITE STAFF COSTS ($3.7 MILLION).

HE SAID THAT THE ANTICIPATED COMPLETION OF THE PROJECT, THIRTEEN MONTHS LATER THAN THE ORIGINAL CONTRACT COMPLETION DATE, WAS DUE ENTIRELY TO THE ADVERSE GROUND CONDITIONS IN THE AREA.

+THESE ADVERSE CONDITIONS WERE NOT DISCOVERED WHEN LIMITED SITE INVESTIGATIONS WERE CARRIED OUT SOME YEARS AGO BUT BECAUSE IT WAS CONSIDERED ESSENTIAL TO PUT THE PROJECT WORKS IN HAND AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE IT WAS AGREED THAT FURTHER SITE STUDIES AND ANY FOUNDATION MODIFICATIONS REQUIRED SHOULD BE MADE DURING THE CONSTRUCTION PERIOD. AS A RESULT OF THAT DECISION WORKS STARTED MORE THAN A YEAR EARLIER THAN WOULD NORMALLY BE THE CASE FOR PROJECTS OF THIS SCALE AND COMPLEXITY+ HE EXPLAINED.

+HOWEVER, SUBSEQUENT SITE INVESTIGATIONS INDICATED THAT THE PROTECTION WORKS REQUIRED TO ENSURE SLOPE STABILITY WERE VERY MUCH MORE EXTENSIVE THAN HAD BEEN ANTICIPATED WITH CONSEQUENTIAL INCREASES IN BOTH THE SCOPE OF THE PROJECT AND THE CONTRACTOR'S WORKS PERIOD. HE ADDED.

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