XN000022-1983-07-08 — Page 4

3

FRIDAY, JULY 8, 1983

$96M TRUNK ROAD SECTION CONTRACT SIGNED

****

THE HIGHWAYS OFFICE OF THE ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT TODAY AWARDED A $96-MILLION CONTRACT TO TOBISHIMA CORPORATION FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A SECTION OF THE NEW TERRITORIES TRUNK ROAD FROM NORTH TAI PO TO LAM KAM ROAD.

THE CONTRACT WAS SIGNED THIS MORNING BY THE ACTING DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT, MR HAROLD BEATON, AND MR H. SASAKI, GENERAL MANAGER OF TOBISHIMA CORPORATION.

MR BEATON SAID THAT THE NEW SECTION OF ROAD WOULD FORM THE FINAL PART OF ROUTE - FROM SHA TIN TO FANLING WITHIN THE NEW TERRITORIES TRUNK ROAD SYSTEM.

WORK ON THE CONTRACT WILL INVOLVE THE CONSTRUCTION OF A DUAL THREE-LANE CARRIAGEWAY OF ABOUT ONE AND A HALF KILOMETRES.

MR BEATON SAID THAT SINCE THE NEW CARRIAGEWAY PASSES THROUGH HILLY TERRAIN TO THE WEST OF TA! PO, THE CONSTRUCTION OF TWO MAJOR VIADUCTS, EACH ABOUT 230 METRES IN LENGTH, IS ALSO INCLUDED IN THE CONTRACT.

THE WORK FORMS PART OF THE PROGRAMME TO UPGRADE THE NEW TERRITORIES TRUNK ROAD SYSTEM WHICH IS SCHEDULED TO BE COMPLETED IN MID-1985 AT A COST OF ABOUT $2 000 MILLION.

+OTHER SECTIONS OF THE TRUNK ROAD ON THE EASTERN SIDE OF THE NEW TERRITORIES ARE ALREADY UNDER CONSTRUCTION,+ MR BEATON SAID,

FROM SHA TIN TO ISLAND HOUSE THE TRUNK ROAD FOLLOWS THE EXISTING COAST AND WILL BE CONSTRUCTED MAINLY ON RECLAIMED LAND.

BETWEEN LAM KAM ROAD AND WO HOP SHEK THE TRUNK ROAD WILL FOLLOW THE LINE OF THE EXISTING TAI PO ROAD. THE INTERCHANGE NOW BEING BUILT AT WO HOP SHEK WILL CONNECT THE NEW ROAD WITH FANL ING BY-PASS.

EVENTUALLY A DUAL CARRIAGEWAY WILL LINK FANLING TO AU TAU WITH THE ALIGNMENT FOLLOWING THE EXISTING CASTLE PEAK ROAD. INTERCHANGES WILL BE PROVIDED AS NECESSARY ALONG THE ROUTE AND WHERE MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS ARE INVOLVED.

+ THE NEW TERRITORIES TRUNK ROAD HAS BEEN DESIGNED AS A LIMITED ACCESS DUAL CARRIAGEWAY TO LINK THE NEW TOWNS NOW BEING DEVELOPED,+ MR BEATON SAID. IT WILL HAVE SERVICE ROADS AND CYCLE TRACKS WHERE THESE ARE NEEDED.+

+

THE SECTION OF THE TRUNK ROAD COVERED BY THIS CONTRACT HAS BEEN DESIGNED BY THE HIGHWAYS (NEW TERRITORIES) DIVISION AND THE STRUCTURAL DESIGN DIVISION OF THE HIGHWAYS OFFICE AND THE WORK WILL BE SUPERVISED BY THE HIGHWAYS (NEW TERRITORIES) DIVISION.

/4