TNAG-0273-FCO40-309-Scheme-for-development-of-container-terminal-at-Hong-Kong-1970 — Page 43

8.36

8.37

A minimum width of 75 ft. of land behind this seawall would be reserved for lighter- loading and unloading operations, as is normal for cargo-working areas in Hong Kong.

If by the time Stage 2 is to be constructed these lighter facilities are found to be inadequate, additional permanent or temporary lighter berths could be constructed in conjunction with the additional containership berth. In Stage 3 still further facilities could be made available or the existing ones reprovisioned should they still be required.

If a vehicle-ferry service is required to take lorries loaded with goods or containers to and from factories or remote packing stations, then ferry berths could easily be incorporated in the seawall. The proposals for lighter berths and possible sites for vehicle-ferry berths are shown on Drawing, 16 & 17.

Road Access

8.38 The Long Term Road Study Report envisaged access to the Container Terminal as being on the north side of the site from a future road connecting the existing Kwai Chung Road with a proposed bridge to Tsing Yi. The position now proposed for the access is on the east side of the site connecting with Kwai Chung Road as shown on Drawings 16 & 17 and has been chosen instead, because:-

8.39

8.40

8.41

8.42

8.43

(a) It would be convenient for the proposed Stage 1.

(b) It would be on the Kowloon side of the Terminal and it is predicted that most of the

traffic would be from that direction.

(c) Given the need for a junction with Kwai Chung Road, the earthworks involved in constructing a flyover at the position chosen would be minimised because of the contours of the hillside there.

It is considered that egress should be at the same point as access to the Terminal in order to facilitate control and security. If local traffic justifies it later, another entrance could probably be arranged on the north side of the full Terminal site with an at-grade junction with the future road to Tsing Yi.

The flyover shown would provide a grade-separated junction with Kwai Chung Road and would have ample capacity for the traffic likely to be generated by the proposed four berths. The order of cost would be $2 million.

Because Kwai Chung Road is a Primary Distributor, an at-grade junction with right- turning would not be permitted, but such a junction, with adequate acceleration and deceleration lanes, would be permitted for left-turning traffic only into and out of the Terminal. This would involve traffic which wished to turn right in a diversion to the nearest point where turning was possible. Although obviously not acceptable for a large volume of traffic, such an arrangement might be satisfactory initially in order to minimise the work to be done to bring the Terminal into operation at the earliest possible date and with the minimum of expenditure.

If a lorry leaving the Terminal for Kowloon could not turn right but had to turn left and travel via the Castle Peak Road instead, an additional 2 miles taking about 64 minutes would have to be travelled. This would cost the user about $1 per trip. On this basis and assuming the amount of generated traffic to be as forecast in Chapter 14, the total user benefit of the flyover junction would be at the rate of about $0.21 million/year when the first phase of Stage 1 was completed, $0.46 million/year when the second phase was com- pleted and $1.3 million/year when Stage 1 reached full throughput.

It is concluded from considerations of the volume of traffic and savings to be made that the flyover junction at the entrance to the Terminal should be brought into use not later than the completion of the second phase of Stage 1.

Sea Approaches

Drawings 16 & 17 show the extent of dredging required to provide access to the proposed berths from Rambler Channel where there is ample depth of water for containerships. The dredging plan is based on the proposals of the Container Committee in 1966 but modified as required by the quay alignment now proposed in this Report. It has been agreed by the Marine Department as suitable and site investigations have shown that no rock is likely to be encountered.

34