XN000022-1989-11-08 — Page 29

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WEDNESDAY. NOVEMBER 8, 1989

TERRITORIAL TRANSPORT PLANS OUTLINED

* * * *

PLANNING FOR THE ESSENTIAL TRANSPORT LINKS TO THE REPLACEMENT AIRPORT HAS STARTED AND THE OVERALL TERRITORIAL TRANSPORT NETWORK PLAN IS BEING REVISED. THE SECRETARY FOR TRANSPORT. THE HON MICHAEL LEUNG. TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY WEDNESDAY),

SPEAKING IN THE RESUMED DEBATE ON THE GOVERNOR'S POLICY ADDRESS. MR LEUNG SAID THAT GUIDING THESE OVERALL DEVELOPMENTS WOULD BE THE WHITE PAPER ON TRANSPORT POLICY ΤΟ BE PUBLISHED EARLY NEXT YEAR.

HE SAID THE THREE KEY AIRPORT-RELATED TRANSPORT PROJECTS COMPRISED THE NORTH LANTAU EXPRESSWAY, THE LANTAU FIXED CROSSING. AND THE AIRPORT RAILWAY.

HE DESCRIBED THE NORTH LANTAU EXPRESSWAY AS A 12-KILOMETRE DUAL THREE-LANE CARRIAGEWAY ALONG THE NORTHERN COAST OF LANTAU WHOSE DESIGN WOULD BE REVIEWED EARLY NEXT YEAR WITH A VIEW TO STARTING CONSTRUCTION IN MID-1992.

MR LEUNG SAID THE LANTAU FIXED CROSSING WAS EVEN MORE COMPLEX THAN THE EXPRESSWAY. COMPRISING TWO CROSSINGS LINKING NORTH EAST

LANTAU TO MA WAN AND FROM MA WAN TO TSING YI.

HE SAID:

"ONE DESIGN UNDER CONSIDERATION IS A SUSPENSION BRIDGE WITH A SPAN OF ABOUT 1.4 KILOMETRES. THE LONGEST OF ITS KIND IN THE WORLD.

"THE ALTERNATIVE OF USING IMMERSED TUBE CONSTRUCTION IS ALSO

BEING INVESTIGATED.

"ONCE A DECISION IS MADE ON EITHER A BRIDGE OR A TUNNEL. DETAILED DESIGN WILL BEGIN.

THERE WOULD BE AN INTERSECTION AT TSING YI WITH ROUTE 3. A MAJOR TRUNK ROAD RECOMMENDED BY THE SECOND COMPREHENSIVE TRANSPORT STUDY (CTS-2).

3.

AND

"THE CONSTRUCTION OF ROUTE

INCLUDING THE WEST KOWLOON EXPRESSWAY AND THE WESTERN HARBOUR CROSSING. WILL NOW BE ADVANCED TAILORED TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE NEW AIRPORT.

"A FEASIBILITY STUDY ON THE SECTION FROM YUEN LONG ΤΟ KWAI CHUNG HAS JUST BEEN COMPLETED AND DETAILED DESIGN WILL FOLLOW SOON.

"WE ARE ALSO STARTING A DETAILED FEASIBILITY STUDY ON THE WESTERN HARBOUR CROSSING. TO BE COMPLETED WITHIN 12 MONTHS. MR LEUNG SAID.

TRANSPORT

THE

HE SAID THE AIRPORT RAILWAY WAS CRITICAL TO THE STRATEGY SINCE THE ROAD SYSTEM WOULD NOT BE ABLE ΤΟ ABSORD ALL TRAFFIC TO AND FROM THE NEW AIRPORT.

"WE EXPECT