XN000022-1990-04-10 — Page 5

TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 1990

AGREEMENT SIGNED FOR PROJECT MANAGEMENT OF NEW AIRPORT WORKS

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A SIGNIFICANT STEP FORWARD IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF HONG KONG'S NEW AIRPORT TOOK PLACE TODAY (TUESDAY) WHEN THE SECRETARY FOR WORKS MR KENNETH KWOK, SIGNED A CONSULTANCY AGREEMENT WITH DR HANK TOWNSEND, OF BECHTEL, WHICH WILL CARRY OUT PHASE ONE OF THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT FOR THE GOVERNMENT'S NEW AIRPORT WORKS.

THE VALUE OF THE PHASE ONE CONSULTANCY IS ESTIMATED TO HK$90 MILLION AND IT IS TO RUN FROM APRIL 1990 TO DECEMBER 1991.

ON

BE

THE SELECTION OF BECHTEL WAS MADE ON THE BASIS OF ITS IN-DEPTH INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE

LARGE

SCALE, MULTI-DISCIPLINARY MEGA-PROJECTS. "AN OVERALL PROJECT MANAGEMENT CONSULTANCY OF THIS MAGNITUDE HAS NOT PREVIOUSLY BEEN AWARDED IN HONG KONG, SAID MR KWOK.

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WITH

LAST OCTOBER, THE GOVERNOR, SIR DAVID WILSON, ANNOUNCED THE GOVERNMENT'S INTENTION TO PROCEED

THE CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AT CHEK LAP KOK, LOCATED ON THE NORTH COAST OF LANTAU ISLAND, TO REPLACE THE EXISTING AIRPORT AT ΚΑΙ TAK IN URBAN KOWLOON.

THE TARGET DATE FOR THE OPENING OF THE FIRST RUNWAY AT THE NEW AIRPORT, WHICH WILL EVENTUALLY HAVE A CAPACITY OF 80 MILLION PASSENGERS A YEAR, IS EARLY 1997.

THE CHEK LAP KOK AIRPORT AND RELATED TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS ARE VITAL TO ENSURE THE FUTURE GROWTH AND PROSPERITY OF HONG KONG INTO THE 21ST CENTURY.

THE NEW AIRPORT IS HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON THE TIMELY AVAILABILITY OF THE SURFACE TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE AND OTHER FACILITIES.

THESE PROJECTS ARE INDIVIDUALLY LARGE AND COMPLEX AND HAVE CHALLENGING PROBLEMS WITHIN THEMSELVES AS WELL AS THEIR INTERFACES WITH OTHER PROJECTS. THEY ARE SUBJECT TO VERY CHALLENGING CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES AND PROGRAMMES.

THE OVERALL DEVELOPMENT WILL BE ONE OF THE LARGEST CIVIL UNDERTAKINGS, WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME PERIODS, IN THE WORLD.

WORKS

TO ENSURE A COORDINATED DEVELOPMENT AND TIMELY COMPLETION OF THE WHOLE SYSTEM, THE AMERICAN FIRM, BECHTEL, HAS BEEN ENGAGED ΤΟ ASSIST THE SECRETARY FOR WORKS AND ADVISE THE GOVERNMENT ON COORDINATING PROGRAMMING, BUDGETING AND MONITORING THE OVERALL DEVELOPMENT.

DEVELOPMENT WILL PRIVATE SECTORS,

THE SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE OVERALL REQUIRE CLOSE-KNIT TEAMWORK BETWEEN THE PUBLIC AND THE FINANCIAL COMMUNITY AND INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPATION.

/THE MAIN