XN000022-1983-06-26 — Page 12

11

SUNDAY, JUNE 26, 1983

ROAD MAINTENANCE, A HERCULEAN TASK

****

KEEPING HONG KONG'S EXTENSIVE PUBLIC ROAD NETWORKS IN GOOD ORDER IS A HERCULEAN PROJECT THAT COSTS THE GOVERNMENT OVER $250 MILLION A YEAR.

APART FROM ROAD CONSTRUCTION, THE GOVERNMENT'S HIGHWAYS OFFICE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MAINTAINING THESE VAST NETWORKS, CURRENTLY MADE UP OF 1 200 KILOMETRES OF ROADS, 85 FLYOVEŇ 154 FOOTBRIDGES AND 81 PEDESTRIAN SUBWAYS.

SOME OF THE PROBLEMS THAT ENGINEERS MUST CONTEND WITH ARE THE INADEQUATE THICKNESS OF HONG KONG'S OLDER ROADS, RAPID INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT, GROWING ROAD TRAFFIC WITH A HIGH PROPORTION OF HEAVY COMMERCIAL VEHICLES, LIMITED WORKING SPACE AND LACK OF DIVERSION ROUTES.

EVERY MONTH, SOME 23 500 CUBIC METRES OF BITUMINOUS MATERIAL WERE USED ON ROAD RESURFACING AND REPAIR, THE ACTING DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT, MR HAROLD BEATON, POINTED OUT.

+ANOTHER MAJOR PROBLEM IS THE BLOCKAGE OF GULLIES AND DRAINS DURING HEAVY RAINS, WHICH CAUSE SUDDEN FLOODING AND POTHOLES IN OUR ROADS.

+THIS PROBLEM IS EXACERBATED BY THE HILLY TERRAIN OF HONG KONG AND THE VAST VOLUME OF INDUSTRIAL WASTE, BUILDING DEBRIS AND REFUSE FROM STREET MARKET ACTIVITIES, MR BEATON SAID.

J

INDIVIDUAL ROADS, DRAINS, HILLSIDE CATCHPITS, SAND TRA. AND NULLAHS MUST THUS BE REGULARLY INSPECTED AND CLEANED, WHICH

IS A HIGHLY LABOUR-INTENSIVE JOB.

+FOR INSTANCE, ENGINEERS AND TECHNICAL STAFF OF THE HIGHWAYS OFFICE WERE WORKING ON A 24-HOUR BASIS DURING THE RECENT INTENSE RAINSTORMS TO CHECK THE EXTENT OF ROAD DAMAGE AND TO ALLEVIATE ROAD FLOODING CAUSED BY THE BLOCKAGE OF ROAD DRAINAGE, HE SAID.

ROUND-THE-CLOCK WORK HAS BEEN GOING ON OVER THE PAST WEEK

TO REPAIR THE MANY ROADS DAMAGED BY THE TORRENTIAL RAINS.

ALTHOUGH MANY ROADS SUFFERED DAMAGE, MAJOR SLIPS OCCURRED ON THE ACCESS ROAD TO THE PEAK, CHAI WAN ROAD AND VICTORIA ROAD.

THEN THERE ARE SOME 1 300 SEPARATE TRENCH OPENINGS EACH MONTH, CARRIED OUT MOSTLY BY UTILITY COMPANIES FOR UNDERGROUND SERVICE AND REPAIR WORK.

ALTHOUGH THE TRENCHES ARE FILLED BY THE CONTRACTORS OF THESE COMPANIES, PERMANENT REINSTATEMENT OF THE ROAD SURFACE IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE HIGHWAYS OFFICE, MR BEATON SAID.

BESIDES ROADS, INNUMERABLE BRIDGE JOINTS AND BRIDGE BEARINGS THROUGHOUT HONG KONG MUST BE PERIODICALLY EXAMINED, REPAIRED OR REPLACED,

/IN ADDITION