XN000022-1993-10-11 — Page 3

MONDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1993

PLEDGE TO PURSUE TRANSPORT IMPROVEMENT VIGOROUSLY

THE

SECRETARY FOR TRANSPORT, MR HAIDER BARMA, TODAY PLEDGED THAT THE EXTENSIVE ROAD CONSTRUCTION AND IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMME ANNOUNCED BY THE GOVERNOR IN HIS ANNUAL ADDRESS WILL BE PURSUED VIGOROUSLY.

1997.

"IT IS OUR AIM TO BUILD AN ADDITIONAL 90 KILOMETRES OF ROAD BY HONG KONG WILL THEN HAVE A 1,650 KM-ROAD NETWORK.

中申

CORE ($3.5

THE

APART FROM ROAD PROJECTS INCLUDED. IN THE AIRPORT PROGRAMME, WORK WILL START NEXT YEAR ON THE TING KAU BRIDGE BILLION), THE CLIMBING LANES ON TUEN MUN HIGHWAY ($985 MILLION) WESTERN KOWLOON CORRIDOR ($423 MILLION) AND THE WIDENING OF LUNG CHEUNG AND CHING CHEUNG ROADS ($1.04 BILLION).

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ON THE TING KAU BRIDGE, MR BARMA SAID: "WE WILL LATER THIS WEEK INVITE CONTRACTORS TO APPLY IN A PREQUALIFICATION EXERCISE FOR TENDERING FOR THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE BRIDGE.

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"OUR AIM IS TO COMPLETE THE BRIDGE BY 1997 UNDER THE PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMME. THE BRIDGE IS TOTALLY FUNDED BY THE GOVERNMENT, HE SAID.

THE BRIDGE WILL PROVIDE A FAST LINK WITH URBAN KOWLOON VIA THE YI SECTION OF ROUTE 3 AND WITH LANTAU VIA THE LANTAU FIXED

TSING CROSSING.

IT WILL ALSO LINK WITH THE TAI LAM TUNNEL AND YUEN LONG APPROACH ROAD WHICH WILL FORM THE COUNTRY PARK SECTION OF ROUTE 3 THAT WILL RELIEVE CONGESTION ON TUEN MUN HIGHWAY, IMPROVE TRAFFIC FLOW BETWEEN THE BORDER AND THE CONTAINER PORT AND SUPPORT FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF THE NORTHWEST NT.

MR BARMA SAID: "IT IS OUR INTENTION TO PRIVATISE THE BUILDING AND OPERATION OF THE TUNNEL AND APPROACH ROAD OF THE COUNTRY PARK SECTION OF ROUTE 3 UNDER A BOT (BUILD, OPERATE AND TRANSFER) FRANCHISE. THE TRANSPORT PANEL OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL WILL BE FULLY CONSULTED.

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BY THE

ON THE $2 BILLION ROAD IMPROVEMENT PACKAGE ANNOUNCED GOVERNOR, MR BARMA SAID: "WE WILL SPEND $775 MILLION ON RECONSTRUCTING AND UPGRADING ABOUT 20 ROADS OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.

"WE ARE ALSO IN THE PROCESS OF UPGRADING THE AREA TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEM IN KOWLOON WITH EXTENSION TO TSUEN WAN BY 1995 AND TO SHA TIN BY 1998.

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WITH THE UPGRADING, JOURNEY TIMES IN THE BUSIEST AREAS WILL BE SHORTENED BY ABOUT 10 PER CENT.

HE SAID WORK WAS ALSO IN HAND TO PUT IN PLACE A $80 MILLION SYSTEM то ALLOW INCIDENTS ON TUEN MUN HIGHWAY TO HANDLED MORE QUICKLY.

BE

DETECTED AND

/THIS WILL