XN000022-1987-04-30 — Page 4

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THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 1987

THE LOK MA CHAU BORDER CROSSING IS BEING BUILT TO COPE WITH THE GROWING VOLUME OF CROSS-BORDER TRAFFIC. THE FIRST PHASE OF THE PROJECT, EXPECTED TO BE OPERATIONAL BY THE END OF 1988, WILL INCLUDE A DÚ AL TWO-LANE HIGHWAY LINKING A CONCRETE BRIDGE OVER THE SHENZHEN RIVER, UNDER CONSTRUCTION, AN INTERCHANGE WITH THE NEW TERRITORIES CIRCULAR ROAD AND BORDER CONTROL FACILITIES. CONSTRUCTION COST FOR THE FIRST PHASE OF THE PROJECT IS ESTIMATED AT $245 MILLION.

SECOND STAGE CONSTRUCTION WILL BE DETERMINED BY FUTURE TRAFFIC VOLUME IN THE AREA. IF GIVEN THE GO AHEAD, THIS WOULD COST AN ADDITIONAL $150 MILLION.

SIR DAVID AND LADY WILSON THEN VISITED THE POK 01 HOSPITAL AND WERE MET BY ITS CHAIRMAN, MR CHENG HOI-CHUEN, WHO EXPLAINED TO THEM THE HOSPITAL'S EXPANSION PLAN. UNDER THE SCHEME, THE NUMBER OF BEDS AT POK 01 HOSPITAL WILL BE INCREASED TO 420 BY AROUND 1990. IN ADDITION TO NEW QUARTERS FOR DOCTORS AND NURSES, A CASUALTY WARD AND AN OUT-PATIENT CLINIC WILL BE BUILT.

AT THE YUEN LONG TOWN CENTRE, SIR DAVID AND LADY WILSON WENT TO THE ROOF OF A MULTI-STOREY BUILDING TO LOOK AT THE SITE OF THE LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT TERMINUS AND ITS ENVIRONS. THEY WERE BRIEFED BY THE LRT DIRECTOR, MR JOE WADE, ON THE PROGRESS OF THE PROJECT. STAGE 1 OF THE PROJECT, WHICH COMPRISES SIX ROUTES WITH 23 KILOMETRES OF DOUBLE TRACK, WOULD START OPERATION IN AUGUST 1988 AS SCHEDULED.

SIR DAVID AND LADY WILSON THEN DROVE ALONG YUEN LONG MAIN ROAD AND STOPPED AT THE BRIDGE OVER THE NULLAH. THEY WERE BRIEFED BY THE DISTRICT OFFICER, YUEN LONG, MR ALAN WONG, ON THE PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH POLLUTION OF THE NULLAH AND MEASURES TAKEN TO AMELIORATE THEM.

AT THE YUEN LONG TOWN HALL, SIR DAVID WAS SHOWN VARIOUS FACILITIES BY ITS CHAIRMAN, MR LEUNG SHUI-FAT.

MR LEUNG SHUI-FAT. HE CHATTED WITH SOME STUDENTS ATTENDING DANCING CLASS THERE AND SAW CHILDREN PLAYING IN THE TOY ROOM. LADY WILSON WAS PRESENTED WITH A BOUQUET OF FLOWERS BY ONE OF THE CHILDREN.

SIR DAVID THEN WALKED TO LUT SAU HALL WHERE HE MET THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE YUEN LONG DISTRICT ARTS COMMITTEE, MADAM LEUNG SING-TAK, AND THE MANAGER OF THE CIVIC CENTRE, MR JEFF YING SHIU-YIN.

/THE MAIN