XN000022-1992-02-18 — Page 4

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1992

UNDER THIS ARRANGEMENT, THE PRIVATE SECTOR WILL BE INVITED TO BID FOR A 30-YEAR FRANCHISE TO DESIGN, CONSTRUCT, OPERATE, MAINTAIN THE CROSSING, AND TO TRANSFER THE WHOLE FACILITY TO THE GOVERNMENT THE END OF THE FRANCHISE PERIOD.

AT

"THIS METHOD OF PRIVATISATION IS WELL-KNOWN AND PROVEN IN HONG KONG," MR LEUNG SAID.

**THE EASTERN HARBOUR CROSSING AND TATE'S CAIRN TUNNEL HAVE BEEN PRIVATISED ALONG THE SAME LINES, AND BOTH HAVE BEEN OPENED AHEAD OF SCHEDULE AND ARE OPERATING SUCCESSFULLY, HE SAID.

THE PROJECT COMPRISES A TWO-KILOMETRE DUAL THREE-LANE IMMERSED TUNNEL CONNECTING SAI YING PUN AND WEST KOWLOON RECLAMATION, A TOLL PLAZA, APPROACH ROADS, AN ADMINISTRATION BUILDING AND THE SECTION OF ROUTE 7 FROM RUMSEY STREET TO BELCHER BAY.

"THE CURRENT ESTIMATED COST IS AROUND $4 BILLION AND WILL BE WHOLLY MET BY THE FRANCHISEE," MR LEUNG SAID.

APART FROM SERVING THE NEEDS OF THE NEW AIRPORT, MR LEUNG SAID THE WESTERN HARBOUR CROSSING ALSO HAS THE BENEFIT OF MEETING THE RISING DEMANDS OF CROSS HARBOUR TRAFFIC.

"WHEN COMPLETED, IT WILL OFFER LASTING RELIEF TO THE CONGESTION AT THE CROSS HARBOUR TUNNEL. WE ESTIMATE THAT THERE SHOULD BE FREE FLOW OF TRAFFIC UNTIL AT LEAST 2011," HE SAID,

LIKE THE ROAD NETWORK CONNECTING WITH TATE'S CAIRN TUNNEL, SIMILAR NETWORK WILL BE PROVIDED FOR WESTERN HARBOUR CROSSING.

ASSOCIATED ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE WILL INCLUDE THE WEST KOWLOON EXPRESSWAY AND THE ROUTE 3 KWAI CHUNG AND TSING YI SECTORS ON KOWLOON SIDE.

ON HONG KONG ISLAND, THE BELCHER BAY LINK, SMITHFIELD ROAD EXTENSION, ROCKHILL STREET EXTENSION AND TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT SCHEMES IN KENNEDY TOWN ARE BEING PLANNED TO SERVE THE WHC TRAFFIC.

"THE ESTIMATED COST OF THESE HIGHWAYS SCHEMES IS $2.75 BILLION, WHICH IS A VERY SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT," HE SAID.

CONSTRUCTION IS EXPECTED ΤΟ BEGIN IN MID NEXT YEAR FOR COMPLETION BY MID 1997.

THEY

ΤΟ

PRESENTING MR LEUNG SAID IN

THEIR BIDS, TENDERERS WILL BE INVITED TO STATE, AS AN OPTION, WHETHER

WOULD BE PREPARED START WORK EARLIER AND IN ADVANCE OF THE FORMAL AWARD OF THE FRANCHISE, UNDER A PROVISIONAL AGREEMENT.

A PROJECT BRIEF, SETTING OUT THE GENERAL PARAMETERS FOR BIDDING WILL BE AVAILABLE TO TENDERERS ON MARCH 6 THIS YEAR.

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PROSPECTIVE BIDDERS CAN ALSO OBTAIN AN INFORMATION THE PROJECT AS FROM FEBRUARY 28.

/THE GOVERNMENT

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