Hong Kong Central Kowloon Bypass Kowloon Bay section opens December 6: peak trip from Tseung Kwan O to Yau Ma Tei cut from 65 to 12 minutes

Hong Kong's Legislative Council (LegCo) Panel on Transport visited the Central Kowloon Bypass (Kowloon Bay Section) on November 2 to learn about the latest progress of the section prior to its commissioning, as well as the challenges in tunnel construction. Accompanied by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Mable Chan, members first received a briefing from government representatives at the Tseung Kwan O-Lam Tin Tunnel Administration Building on the project information and commissioning arrangements, then visited the Tunnel Control Centre to see how traffic inside the tunnel is monitored through closed-circuit television and automatic incident detection systems.

3.4-kilometre section opens December 6, fixed toll $8

The Central Kowloon Bypass (Yau Ma Tei Section) was commissioned in December last year, while the remaining Kowloon Bay Section will be commissioned on December 6 this year. The 3.4-kilometre-long Kowloon Bay Section links the Tseung Kwan O-Lam Tin Tunnel and the Central Kowloon Bypass (Yau Ma Tei Section) to form Route 6, connecting districts including Yau Ma Tei, Kai Tak and Tseung Kwan O with a fixed toll of $8. It is anticipated that the journey time between Tseung Kwan O and Yau Ma Tei via the Central Kowloon Bypass during peak hours will be substantially reduced from 65 minutes to 12 minutes. Members then visited the portals and tunnel tubes of the Kowloon Bay Section to learn about the traffic arrangements for the road section connecting Lam Tin Interchange and Kai Tak, and the construction challenges of the underwater tunnel. The project adopted multiple innovative tunnelling and automation technologies, alongside the Multi-trade Integrated Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MiMEP) method, to ensure safe and effective large-scale tunnel boring beneath the seabed while reducing risks and minimising disruption to residents' daily lives.

Members urge publicity before opening, close monitoring of early traffic

During the visit, members exchanged views with representatives of the Transport and Logistics Bureau, the Civil Engineering and Development Department and the Transport Department, and requested the government to step up public publicity before commissioning and closely monitor traffic conditions in the initial stage of commissioning, so as to ensure smooth traffic flow in the relevant road sections. A total of 18 members and non-members of the Panel on Transport participated in the visit.