XN000022-1987-03-17 — Page 6

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TUESDAY, MARCH 17, 1987

+THE EXISTING ROAD NETWORK IN EAST KOWLOON WILL NOT BE SUFFICIENT TO COPE WITH THE FORECAST INCREASE IN TRAFFIC, PARTICULARLY IN KWUN TONG ROAD AND WAI YIP STREET. AS A RESULT, THERE IS A NEED FOR A HIGH QUALITY TRUNK ROAD NETWORK - AN ELEVATED KWUN TONG BYPASS - LINKING EASTERN HARBOUR CROSSING AND JUNK BAY TUNNEL WITH TATE'S CAIRN TUNNEL AND AIRPORT TUNNEL,+ MR TSOH SAID.

THE PROPOSED BYPASS WILL RUN FROM THE JUNCTION OF JUNK BAY ROAD-LEI YUE MUN ROAD ACROSS WAI YIP STREET, ALONG THE WATERFRONT TO KOWLOON BAY AND THEN NORTH TO LINK UP TATE'S CAIRN TUNNEL.

THE BYPASS WILL BE CONSTRUCTED IN THREE PHASES. PHASE I DUE FOR COMPLETION IN 1990, WILL CONSIST OF A GRADE SEPARATED INTERCHANGE AT LEI YUE MUN ROAD-JUNK BAY ROAD PLUS AN ELEVATED LINK DOWN TO WAI YIP STREET.

THE

PHASE II, EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED IN 1991, WILL LINK KOWLOON BAY WITH THE AIRPORT TUNNEL. IN THE LAST PHASE, BYPASS WILL LINK UP WITH TATE'S CAIRN TUNNEL WHICH IS SCHEDULED TO OPEN IN LATE 1992.

MR TSOH ADDED THAT ADDITIONAL GROUND LEVEL LINKS WILL BE CONSTRUCTED AND LOCAL TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT SCHEMES WOULD BE IMPLEMENTED IN KWUN TONG AND NGAU TAU KOK.

+ THE BYPASS AND OTHER PROPOSED IMPROVEMENTS IN KWUN TONG WILL GREATLY IMPROVE TRAFFIC FLOW IN EAST KOWLOON. AS THE BYPASS WILL ELIMINATE THE NEED FOR THROUGH TRAFFIC TO USE THE CONGESTED KWUN TONG ROAD AND WAI YIP STREET, THE LEVEL OF SERVICES PROVIDED BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT WILL BE ENHANCED AS A RESULT OF A MORE FAVOURABLE OPERATING ENVIRONMENT, HE ADDED.

THE STUDY, STARTED IN MARCH LAST YEAR WAS JOINTLY CARRIED OUT BY THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT AND CONSULTANTS OF THE NEW HONG KONG TUNNEL COMPANY LIMITED. THE KWUN TONG DISTRICT BOARD WAS INFORMED OF THE STUDY IN JULY LAST YEAR. A REPORT ON THE PROGRESS OF THE STUDY WAS MADE TO THE BOARD IN NOVEMBER AND THE BOARD HAD SUBSEQUENTLY COME UP WITH USEFUL COMMENTS.

A STUDY TO CONSIDER THE SHORT AND MEDIUM TERM TRAFFIC IMPROVEMENTS IN EAST KOWLOON WAS CARRIED OUT BY THE DEPARTMENT IN 1985 AT THE REQUEST OF THE DISTRICT BOARDS IN THE REGION. ITS RECOMMENDATIONS WERE APPROVED BY THE KWUN TONG DISTRICT BOARD AND SOME OF THEM HAD ALREADY BEEN IMPLEMENTED.

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