XN000022-1982-02-24 — Page 9

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1982

$1.6 BILLION TO BE SPENT ON HIGHWAYS

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OVER $1.6 BILLION OUT OF THE $11 BILLION PROPOSED FOR THE CAPITAL WORKS RESERVE FUND HAS BEEN EARMARKED FOR IMPROVING HIGHWAYS IN 1982-83, THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL WAS TOLD TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

IN PROPOSING THIS, THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY, THE HON JOHN BREMRIDGE, SAID THE AIM OF ROAD DEVELOPMENT WAS TO PROVIDE A HIGHWAYS NETWORK THAT WOULD PERMIT THE FREE AND RAPID MOVEMENT OF VEHICULAR TRAFFIC TO AND FROM ANY PART OF THE TERRITORY WITH SAFETY AND ECONOMY,

+TO THIS END, EIGHT MAIN TRUNK ROUTES HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AND A LARGE NUMBER OF PROJECTS HAVE EITHER BEEN STARTED OR ARE BEING PLANNED TO IMPROVE THESE ROUTES, HE SAID.

THE ROUTES ARE NAMED FROM 1 TO 8, WITH ROUTE 5 BEING A PROPOSED ROUTE FROM SHA TIN TO TSUEN WAN FOR WHICH A FEASIBILITY STUDY HAS JUST BEEN COMPLETED.

ROUTE 1, HE SAID, WOULD BE FROM ABERDEEN TO THE SHA TIN-NORTH TAI PO COASTAL ROAD VIA THE ABERDEEN TUNNEL, THE CANAL ROAD FLYOVER TO THE CROSS HARBOUR TUNNEL, AND THEN TO WO HOP SHEK FROM PRINCESS MARGARET ROAD, WATERLOO ROAD, THE LION ROCK TUNNEL, ROAD T1 THROUGH SHA TIN.

THE PROVISION OF $291 MILLION IN 1982-83 WOULD BE MAINLY FOR THE COMPLETION OF THE ABERDEEN TUNNEL, THE WONG NEI CHUNG GAP ROAD-STUBBS ROAD FLYOVER, THE SHA TIN TO NORTH TAI PO COASTAL TRUNK ROAD AND THE NEW TERRITORIES TRUNK ROAD IMPROVEMENTS.

ROUTE 2 ($288 MILLION), STARTS FROM THE CROSS HARBOUR TUNNEL WESTWARDS VIA TSUEN WAN AND TUEN MUN TO YUEN LONG AND FANLING.

THE ROUTE FOLLOWS GASCOIGNE ROAD AND TONG MEI ROAD FIRST AND THEN PROCEEDS ALONG THE COAST THROUGH YAU MA TEI, SHAM SHUI PO AND LAI CHI KOK (THE WEST KOWLOON CORRIDOR) TO JOIN THE TSUEN WAN BYPASS.

IT THEN CONTINUES VIA THE BYPASS, THE TUEN MUN HIGHWAY AND CASTLE PEAK ROAD TO TUEN MUN AND YUEN LONG, CONTINUING VIA AU TAU AND MAI PO TO JOIN ROUTE 1 AT THE SOUTHERN END OF THE FANLING BYPASS,

ROUTE 3 ($76 MILLION), STARTS FROM THE CROSS HARBOUR TUNNEL VIA THE WUHU INTERCHANGE AND CHATHAM ROAD TO THE AIRPORT TUNNEL AND THEN ACROSS KOWLOON BAY RECLAMATION TO LE! YUE MUN VIA KWUN TONG ROAD.

ROUTE 4 ($45 MILLION) STARTS FROM LAI CHI KOK VIA CHING CHEUNG AND LUNG CHEUNG ROADS, PAST THE SOUTHERN ENTRANCE TO THE LION ROCK TUNNEL TO JOIN KWUN TONG ROAD AT PING SHEK AND THEN TO JOIN ROUTE 3 AT NGAU TAU KOK.

/ROUTE 6