XN000022-1986-11-25 — Page 12

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1986

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$187 MILLION CONTRACT SIGNED FOR FLYOVER CONSTRUCTION

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A TRAFFIC BOTTLENECK IN CENTRAL DISTRICT WILL BE REMOVED WITH THE CONSTRUCTION OF A FLYOVER AT RUMSEY STREET, PART OF THE UPGRADED CONNAUGHT ROAD SCHEME TO PROVIDE A FREE-FLOW THROUGH ROUTE IN BOTH DIRECTIONS.

A $187 MILLION CONTRACT FOR THE FLYOVER, THE SECOND OF FOUR TO BE AWARDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE SCHEME, WAS SIGNED TODAY (TUESDAY) BY THE DIRECTOR OF HIGHWAYS, MR HAROLD BEATON, AND THE MANAGING DIRECTOR OF PAUL Y CONSTRUCTION COMPANY LIMITED, MR G.C. TSO.

THE SCHEME IS ONE OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS PUT FORWARD IN A 1984 STUDY INTO TRANSPORT REQUIREMENTS IN THE MID-LEVELS AND CENTRAL.

THE THREE-YEAR CONTRACT COVERS CONSTRUCTION OF A FLYOVER FROM WEST OF GILMAN STREET TO EAST OF SUTHERLAND STREET, SOME GROUND-LEVEL ROADS ALONG CONNAUGHT ROAD CENTRAL AND WEST, AND A FEEDER ROAD SYSTEM ON WESTERN RECLAMATION IN THE VICINITY OF QUEEN STREET NORTH,

OTHER WORKS INCLUDE CONSTRUCTION OF A BUS TERMINUS WEST OF THE MACAU FERRY TERMINAL, TOGETHER WITH FOOTBRIDGES ACROSS CONNAUGHT ROAD WEST AT MORRISON STREET AND TUNG HING LANE.

A HIGHWAYS DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN SAID THE RUMSEY STREET FLYOVER WOULD BE ABOUT ONE KILOMETRE LONG AND WOULD PROVIDE GRADE SEPARATION BETWEEN GILMAN STREET AND SUTHERLAND STREET.

+THIS SECTION OF THE CONNAUGHT ROAD CORRIDOR REPRESENTS A BOTTLENECK IN THAT ADDITIONAL ROAD SPACE CANNOT BE PROVIDED EITHER TO THE NORTH, BECAUSE OF THE MACAU FERRY TERMINAL, OR TO THE SOUTH BECAUSE OF DENSE URBAN DEVELOPMENT, HE ADDED,

THE FLYOVER WOULD THEREFORE BE BUILT TO DUAL, THREE-LANE STANDARD TO PROVIDE FOR FUTURE ADDITIONAL CAPACITY.

IT WILL BE BUILT WITH A STUB END AT EACH END TO ENABLE FUTURE CONNECTIONS TO A PROPOSED WATERFRONT ROAD AND A CONTINUATION OF ROUTE 7 WHICH WILL RUN FROM WAN CHAI TO ABERDEEN.

THE FLYOVER HAS ALSO BEEN DESIGNED TO BE COMPATIBLE WITH THE APPROACH ROADS OF A POSSIBLE WESTERN HARBOUR CROSSING TO THE WEST.

LOCAL RE-ROUTING OF TRAFFIC WILL BE NECESSARY DURING CONSTRUCTION. A PHASED SEQUENCE OF TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT HAS BEEN FORMULATED AND MEASURES WILL BE TAKEN TO KEEP INCONVENIENCE TO A MINIMUM.

THE FIRST CONTRACT IN CONNECTION WITH THE UPGRADED CONNAUGHT ROAD SCHEME WAS AWARDED IN SEPTEMBER. IT WAS FOR THE $197 MILLION HARCOURT ROAD FLYOVER-PEDDER STREET UNDERPASS PROJECT.

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