XN000022-1983-12-27 — Page 3

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 1983

ONE POSSIBILITY WOULD BE TO SET A MAXIMUM NOISE CRITERION AND PRESCRIBE THE USE OF DIFFERENT PILING METHODS DEPENDING ON THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE SITE AND THE NEAREST BUILDING, PARTICULARLY A NOISE-SENSITIVE RESIDENTIAL BLOCK, DR KWAN SAID.

7

GIVING AN ACCOUNT OF THE INDIVIDUAL SURVEY PROJECTS CARRIED OUT SO FAR, DR KWAN SAID THEY BEGAN WITH TWO STUDIES TO DETERMINE THE SOUND RATING OF DIFFERENT BILING AND EARTH-BREAKING TECHNIQUES.

THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY CONSULTATION WITH GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS INVOLVED IN PUBLIC WORKS, INCLUDING THE BUILDING ORDINANCE OFFICE, THE ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, THE BUILDING DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT'S ARCHITECTURAL OFFICE AND THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT.

OPINION WAS SOUGHT FROM PROFESSIONALS, SUCH AS EQUIPMENT SUPPLIERS, PILING CONTRACTORS, ARCHITECTS AND STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS.

INFORMATION HAS ALSO BEEN GATHERED FROM OVERSEAS MANUFACTURERS OF LOW-NOISE PILING MACHINES.

IN ADDITION, STUDIES HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED AT MORE THAN 150 CONSTRUCTION SITES TO DETERMINE THE IR NOISE IMPACT ON RESIDENTS IN NEIGHBOURHOOD BUILDINGS.

THE SECTION IS NOW ASSESSING THE RESULTS OF ALL THESE PROJECTS AND WILL COMPILE IN-DEPTH TECHNICAL REPORTS.

+AS WE GO ALONG, WE WILL ATTEMPT TO SURVEY THE WHOLE SPECTRUM OF CONSTRUCTION NOISES, HE SAID,

CURRENTLY, PILING NOISE IS CONTROLLED BY THE SUMMARY OFFENCES ORDINANCE WHICH BANS PILING WORK FROM 7 PM TO 7 AM ON WEEKDAYS AND ROUND-THE-CLOCK ON PUBLIC HOLIDAYS. THE ORDINANCE ALSO REGULATES THE ISSUE OF PERMITS UNDER SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES.

PEAK ROAD TO FULLY OPEN BY LUNAR NEW YEAR

****

THE SECTION OF PEAK ROAD WHICH DISAPPEARED IN A LANDSLIDE IN JUNE FOLLOWING A MASSIVE DOWNPOUR SHOULD BE FULLY RESTORED TO TWO-WAY TRAFFIC BY LUNAR NEW YEAR.

THIS WAS SAID TODAY (TUESDAY) BY A SPOKESMAN FOR THE HIGHWAYS OFFICE, WHO EXPLAINED THAT THE MOST DIFFICULT PART OF THE PROJECT HAD ALREADY BEEN COMPLETED.

THIS INVOLVED HAND DIGGING 15 CAISSONS, SOME OF WHICH WERE OVER 37 METRES LONG. GOOD ROCK FOUNDATION TURNED OUT TO BE DEEPER THAN ANTICIPATED, DESPITE SITE INVESTIGATION, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

/TRAFFIC FLOW