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The Secretary for Transport and Housing, Ms Eva Cheng, today (November 23) visited Wan Chai District to keep abreast of the progress of a number of major road and rail projects which will bring marked improvement to the traffic on Hong Kong Island and greater convenience to the public.
Several important infrastructure projects, such as the Central-Wan Chai Bypass (CWB), Wan Chai Development Phase II (WDII) and Shatin to Central Link (SCL), will get off the ground over the coming years starting from the end of 2009.
Ms Cheng, accompanied by the Wan Chai District Officer Miss Angela Luk, made her first stop near Bauhinia Square to inspect the planned linkage of the waterfront with footbridges in Wan Chai. She was also briefed on the latest progress of the CWB, WDII and SCL projects.
The CWB will complete the strategic road network along the northern shore of Hong Kong Island while the WDII project will provide the necessary land through reclamation for the construction of the bypass. Upon completion, CWB will provide relief to the congested east-west Connaught Road Central, Harcourt Road and Gloucester Road Corridor. The land formed will also be used for the development of a world class waterfront promenade linking with that of Central. Several pedestrian walkways and footbridges will be built to enhance the promenade¡¦s connectivity.
To address possible impacts during construction, the relevant departments will take appropriate measures, such as carrying out the works of both CWB and WDII projects in parallel. Their works will start in end 2009 and early 2010 respectively for completion by 2017.
Ms Cheng was also briefed on the progress in the planning of the SCL, and how departments concerned would work closely to ensure effective interface among these major projects.
The next stop of Ms Cheng's visit was Causeway Bay. Walking through the underground area of the Causeway Bay MTR station, she arrived at the Lee Theatre Plaza to listen to updates on the development of the proposed pedestrian subway system and related traffic improvement measures in the district.
The proposed pedestrian subway system running from Victoria Park through the central commercial shopping areas of Causeway Bay to the vicinity of Happy Valley will create space for pedestrian movements and mininise vehicle-pedestrian conflicts.
Earlier on, the Transport Department commissioned a consultancy study on an pedestrian environment improvement project for Causeway Bay and formulated several conceptual proposals for preliminary discussion with the Wan Chai District Council. After seeking views from relevant government departments, the proposals will be presented to the Wan Chai District Council in mid December for further discussion.
Before concluding her visit, Ms Cheng met the chairmen of the committees under the Wan Chai District Council to discuss the importance of these infrastructure projects and how the Government and the District Council could work together for their smooth implementation. They also had a brief exchange of views on the reform package for 2012 electoral arrangements released last week for public consultation. Ms Cheng expressed her appreciation of the District Council's contributions and work in partnership with the Government for the benefit of the community. She emphasised the importance of making progress in the electoral arrangements and encouraged the DC to put forward views during the three-month consultation period.
Ends/Monday, November 23, 2009
Issued at HKT 19:39
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