XN000022-1996-05-11 — Page 6

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Transcript of the Deputy to the Governor

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The following is the transcript of the Deputy to the Governor, Mrs Anson Chan's remarks to the media after officiating at a ceremony on the Tsing Ma Bridge today (Saturday):

Deputy to the Governor: Good morning. I think you've all seen me symbolically putting in the last segment of the bridge. It's been a while since I came out to see progress on the bridge. I'm delighted to note the very good progress we've made. We expect the bridge to be open in May of 1997. As I've said we've made excellent progress and I congratulate everybody involved in this work, particularly the contractors, the engineers and all the Government departments involved. We expect all the seven ACP projects together with the third, western harbour crossing to be open by about mid-1997 and I am sure that when all these works are actually operational, the community will benefit very substantially from this. The bridge is now 90 per cent complete and I'm sure that we will continue to make excellent progress.

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Deputy to the Governor pleased with ACP progress

The Deputy to the Governor, Mrs Anson Chan, this morning (Saturday) tightened a last bolt of the deck of the Tsing Ma Bridge to symbolise the completion of the deck.

Accompanied by the Director of the New Airport Projects Co-ordination Office, Mr Billy Lam, Mrs Chan was driven to the mid span of the recently erected main deck where she was briefed on the works progress by the Director of Highways, Mr K S Leung.

Mrs Chan said she was very impressed with the work on the bridge which is now over 90 per cent complete.

"Tsing Ma Bridge has now taken its final shape linking Tsing Yi and Ma Wan and, through Kap Shui Mun Bridge, linking Lantau Island with the mainland for the first time," Mrs Chan said.

"The bridge has now become a landmark for Hong Kong. I'm looking forward to the day when we'll all be able to drive across this beautiful bridge.