XN000022-1995-09-19 — Page 11

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Excellent progress on the Airport Core Programme

Excellent progress had been made on all 10 Airport Core Programme (ACP) projects, the Secretary for Works, Mr James Blake, said today (Tuesday).

Mr Blake today visited the Route 3 Cheung Ching Tunnel and Rambler Channel Bridge, part of the road network being developed in the ACP.

He noted that another significant stage of Route 3 construction had been reached with the linking of the Rambler Channel Bridge to the Cheung Ching Tunnel.

The link was achieved last month after the placement of the final precast concrete segments of the Tsing Yi side spans of the Rambler Channel Bridge. These segments were the last of some 900 segments, that had been precast in a yard in Kwai Chung.

Today, Mr Blake was driven through the 1.6 kilometres long Cheung Ching Tunnel to reach the Rambler Channel Bridge.

The 500 metres long Rambler Channel Bridge spans the busy marine channel between Tsing Yi Island and Kwai Chung and is linked to the Cheung Ching Tunnel on the Tsing Yi side and the Kwai Chung Viaduct on the Kwai Chung side by a further 700 metres of elevated road structure.

The bridge was constructed by the balanced cantilever method using a launching girder to erect the concrete segments. This technique enabled the bridge deck segments to be erected without the need to build temporary supports from the ground or the sea thus eliminating the need for road or sea channel closures.

The concrete segments were erected progressively outwards from each supporting pier and joined together by high tensile steel tendons with epoxy glue placed between the adjoining segments. This construction technique is relatively new in Hong Kong and has been used only once before on the Kwun Tong Bypass project.

The Rambler Channel Bridge is being built by Dragages-BSG-Penta Joint Venture under a $670 million contract awarded by the Highways Department in June 1993.

1996.

Work is progressing smoothly and the bridge is on target for completion in mid-