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Blasting works in connection with the excavation have also ended. More than 440,000 cubic metres of spoil has been removed from the tunnel drilled through the centre of Tsing Yi Island.
"We are glad to report that the tunnel excavation has been completed, and well ahead of schedule," said Mr Duncan Siu, the Chief Engineer of the Route 3 Division of the Highways Department.
Mr Siu said a number of safety and monitoring measures had been implemented during excavation work to minimise its impact on the residential areas nearby.
"These include advance warning to residents before each blasting operation and stringent safety and noise controls.
"The measures covered the use of noise reduction equipment, controls on the amount of explosives used in each blast, and a ban on night-time work in places close to the residential areas.
"In addition, 24 stations have been set up to monitor the vibration levels caused by blastings," Mr Siu said.
The Cheung Ching Tunnel, 1.6 kilometres long, will have three lanes in each direction. It will form part of the Route 3 which is a major element in the ACP's highways network connecting the new airport at Chek Lap Kok and Tung Chung new town to the urban areas in Kowloon and Central Hong Kong.
Work on the tunnel began in March 1993 following the award of an $856 million contract to Dragages et Travaux Publics with the first blast taking place two months later.
The tunnel was excavated by blasting through solid volcanic rock and granite working inwards from either ends.
"For the first time in Hong Kong, two drilling machines of a type known as an 'Automatic Jumbo', equipped with computers and operated with the aid of laser beams, were used to drill the holes for explosives, further improving accuracy in blasting and in the amount of explosives needed," Mr Siu said.
"The spoil was transported by barge to Chek Lap Kok and other Government works sites for use as fill for reclamation works there." he said.
Mr Siu said construction of the Cheung Ching Tunnel was on schedule for completion in early 1997.
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