XN000022-1981-09-08 — Page 2

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1981

AIRPORT TUNNEL SET TO OPEN BY YEAR'S END

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TRAFFIC FLOW BETWEEN KWUN TONG AND THE TO KWA WAN-HUNG HOM AREA WILL BE SPEEDED UP WHEN THE AIRPORT TUNNEL OPENS BY THE END OF THE YEAR.

THE 1.2 KILOMETRE ONG TUNNEL STARTS JUST SOUTH OF THE AIR CARGO TERMINAL, RUNS UNDER THE HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT PUNWAY AND CONNECTS WITH THE NEW EAST KOWLOON WAY.

THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT'S CHIEF TRANSPORT OFFICER, ROAD TUNNELS MANAGEMENT DIVISION, MR FRED MAY, SAID TODAY THAT THE AIRPORT TUNNEL WOULD HAVE A CAPACITY OF ABOUT 80 000 VEHICLES A DAY AND BE HONG KONG'S ONLY TOLL-FREE TUNNEL.

+MOST OF THE APPROACH ROADS TO THE TUNNEL HAVE BEEN COMPLETED AND THE INSTALLATION OF LIGHTING AND VENTILATION SYSTEMS IS 80 PER CENT FINISHED, HE SAID.

+WE ARE NOW AWAITING DELIVERY FROM AUSTRIA OF A COMPUTER THAT WILL BE USED TO CONTROL TRAFFIC AND, BY MONITORING EXHAUST EMISSIONS, VISIBILITY AND TRAFFIC FLOWS, WILL SUGGEST TO THE DUTY SUPERVISOR CORRECT LEVELS OF VENTILATION SUPPLY.

+BEING PROGRAMMABLE, THE COMPUTER COULD PERFORM THIS CONTROL FUNCTION COMPLETELY AUTOMATICALLY.

MR MAY SAID THAT TO RELIEVE PRESSURE ON THE SURROUNDING ROAD NETWORK, THE GOVERNMENT HOPED TO OPEN ONE TUBE OF THE TWIN-TUBE TUNNEL TO TWO-WAY TRAFFIC BY THE END OF THE YEAR.

PARENTS' CONSENT NEEDED ****

SCHOOLS ARE REMINDED TO OBTAIN THE CONSENT OF PARENTS WHEN STUDENTS ASSIST IN SELLING FLAGS OR FLOWERS FOR CHAR ITABLE ORGANISATIONS ON APPROVED FLAG AND FLOWER DAYS.

IN A GENERAL CIRCULAR TO SCHOOLS, AN EDUCATION DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN SAID SUPERVISORS AND HEADS OF SCHOOLS ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO SEEK PRIOR APPROVAL OF PARENTS IN SUCH CASES.+

STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN THESE ACTIVITIES ON A VOLUNTARY BASIS, HE SAID.

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