XN000022-1994-05-01 — Page 2

SUNDAY, MAY 1, 1994

PRE-CASTING WORK STARTS ON

WESTERN HARBOUR CROSSING CONCRETE UNITS

WORK ON THE WESTERN HARBOUR CROSSING

PROJECT HAS REACHED

AN

IMPORTANT MILESTONE WITH THE START OF PRE-CASTING WORK ON THE CONCRETE UNITS THAT WILL FORM THE IMMERSED TUBE TUNNEL.

YING

THE SIX-LANE, TWO-KILOMETRE ROAD TUNNEL, RUNNING FROM SAI

IS A MAJOR PUN ON HONG KONG ISLAND TO THE WEST KOWLOON RECLAMATION,

LINK PART OF THE AIRPORT CORE PROGRAMME TRANSPORT NETWORK, WHICH WILL THE URBAN AREAS TO THE NEW AIRPORT AT CHEK LAP KOK.

FUNDED FRANCHISE

"THE WESTERN HARBOUR CROSSING IS A PRIVATELY PROJECT. IT IS BEING DESIGNED AND CONSTRUCTED ON A FAST-TRACK AND IS

THE SAID MR ERIC GLENVILLE, GOING VERY WELL,

HIGHWAYS DEPARTMENT'S SENIOR ENGINEER FOR THE PROJECT.

++

IMMERSED TUBE

12

THE CENTRAL PORTION OF THE PROJECT COMPRISES AN TUNNEL WITH A TOTAL LENGTH OF 1,363 METRES. IT WILL BE MADE UP OF PRE-CAST TUNNEL UNITS, EACH WEIGHING 35,000 TONNES.

LONG,

33.3 METRES

5 METRES EACH OF THESE UNITS IS ABOUT 113. WIDE AND 8.5 METRES HIGH. THEY ARE BEING CAST IN BATCHES OF FOUR AT

Q

BATCH A SPECIALLY BUILT CASTING BASIN AT SHEK

QUARRY. EACH

WILL 1,200 CUBIC METRES OF TAKE ABOUT SIX MONTHS TO CONSTRUCT AND ABOUT CONCRETE PER DAY WILL BE POURED DURING THE CASTING OPERATION.

THE

COMPLETED AT ONCE THE FIRST BATCH OF FOUR UNITS HAS BEEN

THE END OF THIS YEAR, THE 13-HECTARE QUARRY BASIN WILL BE FLOODED AND

THEY WILL

BF THEN

TOWED BY UNITS FLOATED OUT TO SEA.

BARGES то

TEMPORARY MOORINGS IN TSEUNG KWAN 0.

THE ENTRANCE TO THE CASTING BASIN WILL THEN BE Sealed BASIN DRAINED READY FOR CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEXT FOUR UNITS.

WHEN READY FOR POSITIONING, THE COMPLETED UNITS WILL

IN A CONTROLLED MANNER INTO A INTO THE HARBOUR AND SUNK TRENCH.

AND THE

BE TOWED DREDGED

CONSTRUCTION OF ALL 12 UNITS, WHICH WILL MAKE UP THE LENGTH THE IMMERSED TUBE, IS SCHEDULED FOR COMPLETION IN SPRING 1996.

BE

COVE AS

OF

THE

THE BASIN WILL QUARRY SHEK

ONCE THE CASTING OPERATION HAS BEEN COMPLETED,

INTO A MARINE TURNED

OF PART REHABILITATION WORKS.

THE WESTERN HARBOUR CROSSING WILL BE THE BETWEEN HONG KONG ISLAND AND KOWLOON.

THIRD ROAD CROSSING

WESTERN 30-

THE GOVERNMENT AWARDED THE IN SEPTEMBER LAST YEAR, HARBOUR TUNNEL COMPANY THE FRANCHISE TO DEVELOP THIS PROJECT ON A

THE DEVELOPER YEAR, BUILD-OPERATE-TRANSFER BASIS, A METHOD BY WHICH

AND MAINTAINS THE CROSSING

TRANSFERS DESIGNS, CONSTRUCTS, OPERATES, MAINTAINS THE THE FACILITY TO THE GOVERNMENT AT THE END OF THE FRANCHISE PERIOD.

/ALL OF