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last
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South China
China Morning Post - 21/17
327
Contract of $102m
signed for Airport
runway
extension
Some site work preparations for the lengthening of the Kai Tak Airport runway by 2,780ft has already begun, it was learnt yes- terday at the official signing of the $102 million contract for the first stage.
area
The contract was signed in front of a battery of press and television cameras at the Public Works Departin ent's conference room in Murray Build- ing by the Acting Director of Public Works, Mr R. C. Clarke, and Mr K. Kano, Vice-President of Kumagai Gumi and Co Ltd, the Hongkong sub- sidiary of the Japanese construction firm which won it against competition from 10 other companies in Japan, France and West Germany.
Other signatories and * The first stage includes involve 1.7 million lorry loads" observers of the ceremony reclamation of an
in and 13,000 barge loads. included
"Although it is expected' tho Manager of Kowloon Bay involving the Kumagal Gumi, Mr
T. formation of some 2.8 million the foundation work can be six months, Takenaka; Acting Director of sq ft of land contained by one completed in
miles of some extra time quarter
will of, ફ્ Mr R. E. and Civil Aviation,
course be needed to allow ! of seawalls. Downing; Director
the foundation to settle and! Engineering Development, Mr
Said a PWD spokesman:
stabilise." G. J. Skelt; Principal To do this and avoid settle-
A statement handed out at Government Civil Engineer, ment of an unacceptable
the press conference said Mr F. R. Whitehead; Chief magnitude under the paved Engineer of the Development areas, some two million cuble that, at its narrowest section, and Airport Division, Mr G. B. yards or 2.5 million tons of the overall width of the re. O'Rorke; and two representa soft mud must be dredged clamation at the top of the tives of consulting engineers from the seabed to form seawalls will be 830ft, com-
prising the runway proper (a, Scott, Wilson, Kirkpatrick and
centre strip 200ft wide), Partners, Messrs S. G. Elliott
"Total volume of filling
250 and 260ft and W. A. Maslowicz.
material required will amount grass strips
wide to the west and east, to some 750,000 cu yds or a million tons of rock and 6.5 plus a 75-foot-wide taxiway an adjacent 45-foot million cuyds or eight million with
Operation
a firm foundation.
+
+
Under the contract, Kumagai tons of decomposed rock, surfaced strip to the crest
Gumi is scheduled to move
"Filling material from of the castern seawall. into operation at the Airport borrow areas and
Towards the scaward
on October 22.
mud
end dredged from the reclamation of the runway, there will be Government previously area
Next to this will have to bo a bypass area.
be announced
subsidiary firo that, from transported by lorries and will
$18
station and a concrete jetty midnight on October 21, the barges. Airport will be closed to "It is estimated this will adjacent to the seawall, early-hours trame for 42 weeks until early August to facilitate the work.
to
The present contract does not cover the surfacing of the future 11,130-foot runway. This will be the subject of a furthor contract to be let about six months from now.
Mr Elliott, talking Business News after the signing, said the first stage should be completed in 12 months. He recalled that the whole project was scheduled to be completed in two years. It is believed that, overall, the runway works provide employment for up to 1,000 men,
may
A lot of the work, however, will be done by machines,
1
Kumagal Gumni which was registered on the PWD's List of Approved Contractors, has successfully completed several large Government conets here in the past. Indeed,' it is at present engaged on several, including formation work at Homantin shã the Fat Kwong Street road pro- [jects.
Last night, Mr Takenaka hosted a reception at the Mandarin Hotel for Govern- ment representatives and business leaders, to telebrate Kumagal Gumi's success in gaining the contrac
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