XN000022-1986-05-21 — Page 12

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 1986

TWO OF THE NEW POSTS APPROVED BY THE FINANCE COMMITTEE ARE DIRECTOR OF HIGHWAYS AND GOVERNMENT ENGINEER WITH THE NEW HIGHWAYS DEPARTMENT. THE POST OF PRINCIPAL GOVERNMENT HIGHWAY ENGINEER, PREVIOUSLY HEAD OF THE HIGHWAYS OFFICE, HAS BEEN DELETED.

THE HIGHWAYS DEPARTMENT WILL BE RESPONSIBLE TO THE SECRETARY FOR TRANSPORT FOR IMPLEMENTING TRANSPORT POLICY. HOWEVER, ON WORKS POLICY, CONSTRUCTION STANDARDS, CONTRACT PROCEDURES AND CO-ORDINATION OF THE PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMME, IT WILL CONTINUE TO BE RESPONSIBLE TO THE SECRETARY FOR LANDS AND WORKS.

IT WAS FELT NECESSARY TO CREATE A SEPARATE DEPARTMENT FOR HONG KONG'S ROADS BECAUSE OF THE INCREASING DEMANDS ON THE HIGHWAYS OFFICE.

EXPENDITURE ON CONSTRUCTION OF NEW ROADS HAS INCREASED FROM $36 MILLION IN 1969, WHEN THE HIGHWAYS OFFICE WAS FORMED, TO $825 MILLION THIS FINANCIAL YEAR. ANNUAL ROAD MAINTENANCE EXPENDITURE HAS INCREASED IN THE SAME PERIOD FROM $14 MILLION TO $325 MILLION.

THE NEW DEPARTMENT WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR 150 HIGHWAY- RELATED PROJECTS UNDER CONSTRUCTION (WORTH $1 800 MILLION) 85 PROJECTS IN AN ADVANCED PLANNING STAGE, 1 323 KILOMETRES OF EXISTING ROADS, THREE MAJOR ROAD TUNNELS, 540 FLYOVERS AND 390 FOOTBRIDGES.

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IT WILL BE ORGANISED IN THREE REGIONS - HONG KONG, KOWLOON AND THE NEW TERRITORIES EACH HEADED BY A REGIONAL HIGHWAY ENGINEER, THE THREE REGIONS WILL BE SUPPORTED BY A HEADQUARTERS COMPRISING TWO SPECIALIST DIVISIONS RESPONSIBLE FOR HIGHWAYS STRUCTURES AND LIGHTING, AND FIVE UNITS SPECIALISING IN RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, CONTRACT MANAGEMENT ADVICE, LANDSCAPING, SURVEYING AND COMPUTERISED BILL SERVICES.

THE DEPARTMENT WILL ALSO INCLUDE AN EASTERN HARBOUR CROSSING TEAM RESPONSIBLE FOR CO-ORDINATING GOVERNMENT INPUT AND PROVIDING LIAISON BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT AND THE NEW HONG KONG TUNNEL COMPANY. THIS TEAM WILL ALSO DEAL WITH ENGINEERING WORKS IN CONNECTION WITH THE MASS TRANSIT RAILWAY.

THE THREE OTHER DIRECTORATE POSTS APPROVED BY FINANCE COMMITTEE ARE DIRECTOR OF CIVIL ENGINEERING SERVICES (TO HEAD THE NEW CIVIL ENGINEERING SERVICES DEPARTMENT), ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF CIVIL ENGINEERING SERVICES AND CHIEF ENGINEER.

THESE WILL BE OFFSET BY DELETION OF THE POSTS OF DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT AND CHIEF ENGINEER.

AT THE SAME TIME THE COMMITTEE HAS DELETED THE PERMANENT POST OF MASS TRANSIT ADVISER WITH THE ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT AND REPLACED IT WITH THE SUPERNUMERARY POST OF CHIEF ENGINEER IN THE CIVIL ENGINEERING SERVICES DEPARTMENT.

/THE RESTRUCTURED