XN000022-1988-11-02 — Page 8

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1988

EFFORTS MADE TO CO-ORDINATE ROAD EXCAVATION WORKS

* * * * *

EXCAVATIONS

ARE

EMERGENCY OPENINGS

SOME 20 PER CENT OF ROAD AND THESE MAY HAVE NEGATED THE CO-ORDINATION INTENDED TO MINIMISE THE INCONVENIENCE CAUSED BY ROAD OPENINGS PLANNED IN ADVANCE.

THE SECRETARY FOR LANDS AND WORKS, THE HON GRAHAM BARNES, SAID THIS IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. TODAY (WEDNESDAY) IN RESPONSE то A QUESTION FROM THE HON CHENG TAK-KIN.

MR BARNES SAID THE FACT WAS THAT ILIGHWAYS HAD TO PERFORM A DUAL ROLE.

THEY WERE A ROUTE FOR VEHICLES AND PEDESTRIANS ABOVE AND FOR INSTALLATION OF ESSENTIAL UTILITY SERVICES UNDERNEATH.

"ON AVERAGE, 100 NEW ROAD OPENINGS ARE STARTED EVERY WORKING DAY, OF WHICH, AGAIN ON AVERAGE, SOME 80 PER CENT ARE PLANNED AND THEIR IMPLEMENTATION CO-ORDINATED BY THE HIGHWAYS REGIONAL ROAD OPENING CO-ORDINATING COMMITTEES, MR BARNES SAID.

I

"THESE COMMITTEES INCIDENTALLY INCLUDE REPRESENTATIVES

THE PUBLIC UTILITY BODIES.

OF ALL

"BUT SOME 20 PER CENT OF EXCAVATIONS ARE EMERGENCY OPENINGS AND THESE, IMPOSED ON TOP OF THE PLANNED OPENINGS, MAY SOMETIMES SEEM TO NEGATE MUCH OF THE CO-ORDINATION.

"BUT BROKEN OR BREAKING UTILITIES MUST BE REPAIRED AND 1 CAN ONLY SAY THAT WITHOUT THE CO-ORDINATION THE SITUATION WOULD BE INFINITELY WORSE.

MR BARNES ALSO SAID THAT PROPOSALS FOR THE COMMON DUCTING OF UTILITIES HAD BEEN REJECTED BECAUSE OF THE ADDITIONAL COST OF WHAT WOULD IN MOST CASES BE A VERY SUBSTANTIAL TUNNEL, AND BECAUSE OF THE INCOMPATIBILITY OF CERTAIN DIFFERENT TYPES OF UTILITY.

WOULD STILL

"IT SEEMED, MOREOVER, INEVITABLE THAT EXCAVATIONS BE INVOLVED FOR UTILITY CONNECTIONS FROM THE DUCTS TO BUILDINGS, SAID.

HE

STILL

"WHEN WE LOOKED AT THE PROBLEM AGAIN, THESE PROBLEMS SEEMED INTRACTABLE, AND IN ANY CASE IN THE NEW TOWNS IT HAS BEEN FOUND POSSIBLE TO DIRECT A SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER OF THE UTILITIES INTO AMENITY STRIPS, SO THAT THE EXCAVATIONS BECOME A TEMPORARY ENVIRONMENTAL RATHER A THAN TRAFFIC AND AN ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEM.”

MR BARNES SAID THERE WAS NO REAL POSSIBILITY OF ANY FUNDAMENTAL IMPROVEMENT OF THIS KIND IN THE CROWDED URBAN AREAS, ALTHOUGH EVEN NOW IN MAJOR RECONSTRUCTIONS OF BUSY INTER SECTIONS, THE HIGHWAYS DEPARTMENT SOMETIMES COULD AND DID CONSTRUCT DUCTS WHICH COULD CARRY AT LEAST SOME OF THE UTILITIES.

/"ON THE