Sai Kung District Council discusses the widening of Hiram’s Highway second stage

21 July 2024 rsbradbeer PLANNING, TRANSPORT 0

_{One of the slides showing the changes near Marina Cove Graphics: TransD}

Sai Kung is a popular tourist destination in Hong Kong. However, Hiram’s Highway running between Sai Kung and the city is a two-lane, one-carriageway road, and its carrying capacity has long been saturated. The Sai Kung District Council held a meeting of the Transport Committee last Thursday (18/7) to discuss widening Sai Kung Highway into a two-lane dual carriageway all the way to Sai Kung town centre from Pak Wai roundabout at Marina Cove.

_{The overall scheme as presented to Sai Kung District Council}

According to the Highways Department document and presentation, the traffic volume on this section of the road during peak hours has exceeded the design capacity of the road, and the current two-lane, single carriageway road is often blocked in case of traffic accidents or emergencies. For maintenance, one of the lanes is closed, leaving only one traffic lane, which greatly affects traffic to and from Sai Kung. Therefore, there is a need to widen the road.

The project also includes adding more lay-by parking spaces for minibuses and buses, as well as adding pedestrian tunnels and crossings. Christine Fong, deputy chairman of the Sai Kung District Council’s Transport Committee quoted in Chinese language media, said that traffic accidents occur frequently along the road. The new facilities will improve pedestrian safety, and by adding bus stopping spaces can avoid affecting traffic and solve the problem of congestion.

The Highways Department estimates that after completion, the peak hour traffic volume will be about 60% of the design capacity, and the time for travelling from Clear Water Bay Road junction to Sai Kung will be reduced from the current 35 to 40 minutes to about 20 minutes.

After the Hiram’s Highway widening project is approved by the District Council, it will be submitted to the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council for funding application. The government will handle it under a “design and build” contract, and it will take about six years to complete the project. Fong pointed out that the “design and build” model can shorten the bidding administrative procedures and speed up the project progress.

The Hiram’s Highway project will also build sewers and fresh water pipes. Fong hopes to properly plan the underground pipelines of the road to reduce the impact of “road excavation” for future pipeline maintenance on traffic.