XN000022-1990-12-13 — Page 2

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GOVERNMENT CONFIDENT ABOUT AIRPORT PROJECT

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THE GOVERNMENT IS DETERMINED AND WELL PREPARED TO BRING THE NEW AIRPORT AND RELATED PROJECTS TO A SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION, THE DEPUTY SECRETARY OF THE NEW AIRPORT WORKS DIVISION, MR RAFAEL HUI, SAID TODAY (THURSDAY).

IN A LUNCHEON ADDRESS TO THE ROTARY CLUB OF KOWLOON, MR HUI SAID THE GOVERNMENT IS NOW ENGAGED IN A COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME WHICH WILL SEE, OVER THE NEXT 10

OR So, HONG KONG PROVIDED WITH A WHOLE RANGE OF NEW FACILITIES.

YEARS

THESE INCLUDE A NEW INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, A NEW EXPRESSWAY ALONG NORTH LANTAU, A MAJOR CROSSING BETWEEN THE MAINLAND AND LANTAU, MASSIVE RECLAMATION IN WEST KOWLOON WITH A NEW ROAD LINKING WEST KOWLOON AND THE NEW TERRITORIES, A NEW HARBOUR CROSSING, A NEW RAILWAY SYSTEM, AND MANY OTHER RELATED RESOURCES.

WHEN

"ALL OF THESE PROJECTS ARE LARGE AND COMPLEX IN THEMSELVES, BUT THERE IS ADDED COMPLEXITY AND CHALLENGE

THE PROBLEMS OF INTERFACING, FINANCING AND BUILDING THEM ALL

IN A RELATIVELY SHORT TIME FRAME ARE CONSIDERED," MR HUI SAID.

HE SAID THE WAY IN WHICH THE TASK OF CO-ORDINATING THESE MAJOR PROJECTS HAS BEEN APPROACHED IS QUITE UNIQUE FOR THE GOVERNMENT.

"AFTER THE DECISION ON THE PORT AND AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY WAS MADE IN LATE 1989, THE SECRETARY FOR WORKS WAS ASSIGNED THE CO-ORDINATION ROLE.

"A CONSULTANT IN OVERALL PROJECT MANAGEMENT, BECHTEL INC, WAS SELECTED IN EARLY APRIL THIS YEAR.

INTERNATIONAL

"AT THE SAME TIME, THE NEW AIRPORT WORKS DIVISION OF THE WORKS BRANCH WAS FORMED TO ACT AS THE OVERSEEING AND CO-ORDINATING OFFICE FOR ALL THE PROJECTS," HE SAID.

THE GOVERNMENT ADOPTED A NEW APPROACH IN CO-ORDINATION BY CREATING AN INTEGRATED AND MULTI-DISCIPLINARY TEAM CONSISTING OF WORKS BRANCH CIVIL SERVANTS AND BECHTEL PERSONNEL WORKING UNDER ONE ROOF.

THIS TEAM PROVIDES A CO-ORDINATING, PROGRAMMING, MONITORING AND REPORTING SERVICES TO BRANCHES GIVING ADVICE ON THE OVERALL DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROJECT, MR HUI SAID.

IN ADDITION TO THE ENGINEERING AND TECHNICAL SKILLS WHICH ONE WOULD EXPECT TO FIND IN SUCH A TEAM, THERE ARE ALSO LEGAL, COMPUTER, INFORMATION AND OTHER RESOURCES AVAILABLE WITHIN THIS INTEGRATED TEAM.

MR HUI SAID: "THIS OVERALL PROJECT MANAGEMENT APPROACH REQUIRES CAREFUL BALANCING OF THE COLLECTIVE RESOURCE DEMANDS. PRECISE IDENTIFICATION OF CRITICAL AREAS, AND A STRONG MANAGEMENT OF THE MANY AND DIVERSE PROGRAMME ELEMENTS EXISTING IN ALL THE PROJECTS.

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/HE SAID