The need
for additional traffic capacity on the east-west road links across central
Kowloon, particularly for coping with the new developments on its western and
eastern sides, has been recognized for a number of years. Since 1990, it was
proposed in the West Kowloon Reclamation Transport Study that a route in
tunnel, which is known as the Central Kowloon Route (CKR), should be developed
to link the West Kowloon Highway with the future highway system.
Highways
Department (HyD) commissioned the Design and Construction Assignment for the
Central Kowloon Route in June 1998. An
alignment study, preliminary design and impact assessments were carried out
without proceeding to the detailed design or construction phases due to substantial
changes in scope of CKR. The study was
based on a dual two-lane configuration. Its findings indicated the need for
resumption of some residential buildings in the vicinity of Bailey Street in To
Kwa Wan and included an outline proposal for Re-provisioning of some government
and community facilities in Yau Ma Tei.
These facilities included Yau Ma Tei Police Station, Kowloon Government
Offices, Yau Ma Tei Multi-storey Carpark Building, Yau Ma Tei Jockey Club
Polyclinic Building and Specialist Clinic Extension Building, Yau Ma Tei Jade Hawker
Bazaar, public toilet and refuse collection point adjoining Temple Street, and
other minor facilities.
In
March 1999, Government confirmed that a toll plaza for CKR would no longer be
necessary. This removed a major
constraint on the vertical alignment of CKR at the eastern end. The alternative alignment options for CKR
were then re-examined taking into account the updated planning of the then
South East Kowloon Development (SEKD) for reduced scale of reclamation. In August 1999, HyD commissioned a further
study to investigate alternative routes to the east of Ho Man Tin with a view
to minimise resumption of residential properties while dovetailing with the
overall planning of the road network in the then SEKD. The study recommended a new alignment running
through the bus terminus at Kowloon City Ferry Pier, which could avoid
resumption of residential buildings.
Agreement No. CE 58/2006 (HY) – Central
Kowloon Route and Widening of Gascoigne Road Flyover – Investigation was commissioned
by HyD in August 2007 to conduct the investigation and preliminary design of
the CKR (in dual 3-lane configuration) and Widening of GRF projects.
On 30
June 2011, HyD appointed the Arup – Mott MacDonald Joint Venture (AMMJV) under
Agreement No. CE43/2010(HY) to provide consultancy services in respect of
Central Kowloon Route – Design and Construction (the Assignment). This
consultancy also includes the compilation of an Environmental Impact Assessment
(EIA) Report to fulfil the relevant legislative requirements.
Through
a number of studies and verifications of engineering feasibility, CKR is now a
proposed dual 3-lane trunk road across central Kowloon linking the West Kowloon
in the west and the proposed Kai Tak Development (KTD) in the east. The CKR
will be about 4.7km long with an underground tunnel section of about 3.9km long, in particular, there will be an underwater tunnel of
about 370m long in Kowloon Bay to the north of the To Kwa Wan Typhoon Shelter. It will connect the West Kowloon Highway at Yau Ma Tei Interchange
with the road network at Kowloon Bay and the future Trunk Road T2 at KTD which
will connect to the future Tseung Kwan O – Lam Tin Tunnel (TKO-LTT) and Cross
Bay Link (CBL). CKR, Trunk Road T2 and TKO-LTT will form a strategic highway
link, namely Route 6, connecting West Kowloon and Tseung Kwan O. Consultancy
studies for Trunk Road T2, TKO-LTT and CBL have been commissioned by CEDD. In
addition, 3 ventilation buildings, which will be located in Yau Ma Tei, Ho Man Tin
and ex-Kai Tak airport area, are proposed to ensure acceptable air quality
within the tunnel. Figure 1.1
illustrates the latest alignment layout of the CKR. It is generally described
in three sections, with the west portion from West Kowloon to Yau Ma Tei,
central portion from Yau Ma Tei to Ma Tau Kok and east portion from Ma Tau Kok
to Kowloon Bay. Figure 1.2
illustrates the layout plan of Route 6 and CBL. More detailed description of
the CKR is given in
Chapter
2 and
Chapter 3.
CKR
comprises the following elements which are classified as Designated Projects (DPs)
as per Schedule 2, Part I of the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance
(EIAO):
·
A.1: A road which is an expressway, trunk road,
primary distributor road or district distributor road including new roads, and
major extensions or improvements to existing roads.
·
A.7: A road or railway tunnel more than 800 m in
length between portals.
·
A.8: A road or railway bridge more than 100 m in
length between abutments.
·
A.9: A road fully enclosed by decking above and by
structure on the sides for more than 100 m.
·
C.2: Reclamation works (including associated dredging
works) more than 1 ha in size and a boundary of which
(c) is less than 100 m
from an existing residential area.
·
G.5: A facility for the treatment of construction
waste
(a) With a designed
capacity of not less than 500 tonnes per day; and
(b) A boundary of which is
less than 200m from an existing or planned
(i)
Residential area;
(ii)
Place of worship;
(iii)
Educational institution; or
(iv)
Health care institution.
The new road sections under CKR comprise of
expressway, trunk road, primary distributor and district distributor. Some
existing roads including Gascoigne Road Flyover, Hoi Wang Road, and Lai Cheung
Road etc will also be re-aligned or widened which constitute material change to
exempted projects. Details of material
changes of existing roads refer to
Section 3.4. All
these are DPs under Item A.1 of Schedule 2, Part 1 of EIAO.
The main tunnel is more than 800 m in length
and hence is also a DP under Item A.7 of Schedule 2, Part 1 of EIAO.
A number of slip roads in form of viaducts
(each having more than 100 m in length) have been proposed at both ends of the
Project. These are DPs under Item A.8 of Schedule 2, Part 1 of EIAO.
Two landscaped decks would be constructed at
the western portal and above the depressed road at east end respectively.
Besides, full enclosures would be proposed at three locations in the west
portion as noise mitigation measures, i.e. at the west portal, along the
re-provisioned Gascoigne Road Flyover and a section of Ferry Street
respectively. These are also DPs under Item A.9 of Schedule 2, Part 1 of EIAO.
As described in Section 1.2, there is an underwater
tunnel section of about 370 m in
Kowloon Bay to the north of the To Kwa Wan Typhoon Shelter. Some temporary reclamation and dredging works for temporary fairways
of marine vessels would be inevitably required. In order to reduce the amount
of sediment to be dredged and the extent of seabed to be disturbed, the
temporary reclamation would be constructed by using pipe pile wall approach. As
compared to the conventional fully dredged approach (i.e. immersed tube tunnel
(IMT) as in the EIA Study Brief), this scheme could reduce the amount of
sediment to be dredged significantly. According to the latest engineering design,
the area of temporary reclamation would be less than 3.8 ha, therefore only occupying less than 5% of the
semi-enclosed waterbody within the area to the north
of To Kwan Wan Typhoon Shelter in Kowloon Bay which is not a sea channel. In
addition, the temporary reclamation is less than 100 m from the residential
premises such as Grand Waterfront. Therefore, the temporary reclamation would
be a DP under Item C.2 of Schedule 2, Part 1 of EIAO. On the other hand, the
current dredging / excavated volume of sediment for the pipe pile wall scheme and dredging works
for temporary fairways of marine vessels would
be about 176,640 m3 which is less than 500,000 m3.
There are no Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), site of cultural heritage,
bathing beach, marine park or marine reserve, fish culture zone, wild animal
protection area, coastal protection area and conservation area identified
within 500 m of the proposed dredging area. Besides, there is no seawater
intake point within 100 m from the dredging operation. The nearest water
abstraction point would be the planned Kai Tak District Cooling Water System
Intake, which is about 900 m from the proposed dredging area. Hence, the
dredging operation proposed under this Project is not a DP under Item C.12 of
Schedule 2, Part 1 of EIAO.
According to the current construction
methodology, a rock crusher is expected to operate 24 hours a day at the bottom
of the each ventilation shaft of the west, central and east portion, with crushing
capacity up to 1000 tons per day. This operation is considered as a DP under
Item G.5 of Schedule 2, Part 1 of EIAO.
Concrete batching plant, magazine site and
sand depot will not be required for this Project during construction and
operational phases. Therefore, the Project will not be a DP under Item K.5,
K.10 and K.11 of Schedule 2, Part 1 of EIAO.
The locations of the above DPs under CKR are
shown in Figure 1.3.
In accordance with the requirements of Section 5(1) of
the EIAO, an application (No. ESB-156/2006) for an EIA study
brief was submitted to Environmental Protection
Department (EPD) on 29 September 2006 with a Project Profile (No. PP-300/2006). Pursuant to Section 5(7)(a) of the EIAO, the
Director of Environmental Protection issued to the Project Proponent, namely
Highways Department (HyD), an EIA study brief (ref: EIA Study Brief No:
ESB-156/2006 dated 9 Nov 2006) to carry out an EIA study.
The alignment layout of the Project
generally remains the same but some of the elements and works of the Project
have been changed through a number of studies and verifications of engineering
feasibility since the time of application of EIA study brief. For example:
·
landscaped decks would now be constructed at the
western portal and above the depressed road at east end;
·
Yau Ma Tei Police Station would be conserved;
·
a combination of full enclosure
and noise barriers would be implemented along a section of Ferry Street;
·
the originally proposed fresh air supply ventilation
building at the junction of To Kwa Wan Road and San Ma Tau Street has been
deleted;
·
the originally proposed
tunnel ventilation building at the west of Ferry Street would be shifted
further to the seafront at Yau Ma Tei Interchange, etc.
More detailed account of the alternative
alignment options is given in Chapter 2.
As described in Section 1.1, the need for an alternative
east-west traffic route across Kowloon, particularly to cope with new
developments on its western and eastern sides, has been recognized for a number
of years. Traffic congestion is now common on many of the existing east-west
surface routes, including the Lung Cheung Road, Boundary Street, Prince Edward
Road, Argyle Street, Waterloo Road, Chatham Road North and Gascoigne Road
Flyover, etc. A new trunk road is required urgently to bypass these areas which
accommodated
a large portion of residential premises and
connect West Kowloon directly with Kowloon Bay and KTD, and thereby help
relieving the traffic congestion on these roads.
According to
the updated Traffic Impact Assessment in 2012, for the scenario without CKR and
other parts of Route 6 in place, the traffic conditions in Central Kowloon will
continue to deteriorate with an increasing number of roads operating beyond
their capacities, thus affecting the connectivity of key developments in
Kowloon. The study shows that the journey time between West Kowloon and Kai Tak
is predicted to increase from 20 minutes at present to 30 - 35 minutes in 2021. Projected queue lengths at
critical east-west road links will also increase up to about 80%, i.e. 200m or
above.
The CKR would therefore provide much-needed capacity
for accommodating the east-west traffic movements generated by new developments
in Kowloon. With CKR, the journey time between West Kowloon and Kai Tak would
take around 5 minutes from portal to portal, representing a significant
reduction of almost 70 - 80% journey time compared to that of about 20 minutes at present and
around 30 - 35 minutes in 2021 during peak hours. Moreover, by relieving traffic
congestion, most of the queue length at the critical east-west road links would
be reduced and more manageable, with queues being dischargeable more readily.
The proposed CKR would also bring considerable social and economic benefits. It
includes not only the benefits of more direct and quicker journeys for
travellers commuting between east and west of Kowloon, but the traffic within
Central Kowloon would also enjoy smoother movement and therefore reduced travel
time, as traffic diverts from congested routes such as the Lung Cheung Road,
Boundary Street, Prince Edward Road, Argyle Street, Waterloo Road, Chatham Road
North and Gascoigne Road Flyover etc. onto the new CKR corridor.
In fact, the benefits of the reduction in
journey time in the above key east-west traffic corridors could also be
represented in terms of the increase in average traffic speeds. For
example, in 2021, the introduction of CKR would allow the average traffic speed
on some of these key east-west traffic corridors to increase by up to 15kph
during the peak hour. Since some of these key east-west corridors are
experiencing serious traffic congestion during peak hour already and would
probably be even more severe by 2021. The introduction of CKR would allow
the increase in average traffic speed of up to 70%, which represent a rather
high percentage of increase. Since vehicular emission would
decrease as the average traffic speed increases, the introduction of CKR would
cause a decrease of emission from vehicles travelling on these key east-west
corridors. This decrease in vehicular
emission would definitely provide positive impacts on the large number of
residential buildings along these key east-west corridors, and also provide a
contribution in achieving a better air quality in the region. An estimation has been made on the generation of nitrogen oxides, respirable suspended particulates, carbon dioxide along
these key east-west traffic corridors (see http://www.ckr-hyd.hk/pdf/044-02_English(Combined).pdf).
1.6
Scenario “with” and “without” Project
As discussed above, if CKR does not proceed,
traffic congestion would continue to worsen on the existing east-west surface
routes. Indeed, many of the existing major road links in Kowloon are already
operating close to or above capacity.
With further developments in the coming years
at West Kowloon and KTD, traffic demand will increase considerably. If the
situation were not remedied, the worsening traffic congestion would not only
result in longer travelling time but also greater inconvenience and
environmental impacts/ nuisances to the local residential populations living
along these roads.
The proposed CKR, Trunk Road T2 and Tseung
Kwan O – Lam Tin Tunnel will form part of Route 6, which will connect West
Kowloon and Tseung Kwan O. If CKR does not proceed, it would affect the overall
implementation programme of this important strategic highway link.
Nevertheless, the implementation of CKR would
inevitably introduce some temporary environmental impacts during construction
phase. This would require some mitigation measures to alleviate the impacts.
During the operational phase, the CKR would also change the traffic patterns
for areas near to the portal and some
mitigation measures would also be required.
The construction of CKR tentatively
commences in 2015. The construction works would take about 5 years and the
target commissioning date is around
end 2020.
The possible potential concurrent projects in the vicinity of the CKR are
identified as follows. Figure 1.4 shows the
locations and alignments of these concurrent projects.
According to the approved EIA
Study “Kai Tak Development” (KTD) (AEIAR-130/2009), the project is located in
the south-eastern part of Kowloon Peninsula, comprising the apron and runway
areas of the former Kai Tak Airport and existing waterfront areas at To Kwa
Wan, Ma Tau Kok, Kowloon Bay, Kwun Tong and Cha Kwo Ling. The Project also
covers Kowloon Bay and Kwun Tong Typhoon Shelter and the adjacent water bodies.
The project has commenced in early 2009 and is anticipated to complete beyond
2020.
The size of this project is approximately
323 ha. Under the latest Outline Zoning Plan (OZP) (No. S/K22/4) gazetted on 14 Sept
2012, a series of sub-districts are demarcated within KTD for different land
uses. They include a commercial belt and Station Square planned at North Apron and
North Apron East.
According to the LegCo Papers on Kai Tak Development (LC Paper No CB(1)1919/09-10(05), CB(1)396/09-10(05) and
CB(1)570/08-09(03)), the KTD projects are grouped into three packages. These
development packages are described in
the Table 1.1 below and illustrated in Appendix 1.1.
Table 1.1: Development Packages
of Kai Tak Development
|
Development |
Package A |
Package B |
Package C |
|
Development at North Apron |
Public housing developments Primary schools and secondary school Kai Tak Government offices |
Sites for commercial/ residential
development. Underground streets Kai Tak River Station Square and Avenue Park |
Multiple-Purpose Stadium Complex Sites for commercial / residential
development Sung Wong Toi Park |
|
Developments at Runway |
Cruise Terminal (first berth); Runway park |
Cruise terminal building (including
second berth) Tourism Node Heliport Bio-remediation of Kai Tak Approach
Channel and the Kwun Tong Typhoon Shelter |
Metro park Sites for residential/ commercial
developments |
|
Development at South Apron |
- |
- |
Sites for commercial developments |
|
Kwun Tong Public Cargo Working Area |
Waterfront promenade |
- |
- |
|
Supporting infrastructure |
District cooling system (first phase) |
District cooling system (second phase)
Roadworks, pedestrian links, water supply,
drainage and sewerage systems. |
District cooling system (final phase) Roadworks, water supply, drainage and sewerage
systems. |
Further liaison has been
made with CEDD
to collate additional status on the
implementation programme of developments in Kai
Tak. Additional information from Harbourfront Commission website has been also
reviewed. All these information on the
implementation programme of the developments in Kai Tak has been consolidated
and is summarized below and in Table 1.2.
The approved KTD EIA Report
(ref: AEIAR-130/2009) concluded that construction of electricity substations,
footbridges and subway enhancements, superstructure construction and concreting
works are not major dusty construction activities. It is therefore anticipated
that it would not have significant contribution on the cumulative construction
dust impacts on the receivers in the vicinity of CKR. However, the construction
of road network, land formation and other related works will involve the use of
Powered Mechanical Equipment (PME) including breakers, excavators, lorries,
mobile cranes, concrete truck mixers, pokers, rollers, etc. which would have
cumulative construction noise impact on the receivers affected by the CKR.
Nevertheless, dust emission strengths presented in the approved EIA Study “Kai
Tak Development” (KTD) (AEIAR-130/2009) will be adopted where appropriate.
The construction of some of
these facilities under KTD may overlap with the construction of CKR, as
described below.
Multi-Purpose
Stadium Complex
According to the implementation
programme in KTD, the construction of the Multi-Purpose Stadium Complex would
tentatively commence in 2015, and completed by 2020. Cumulative construction phase noise and air
quality impacts are therefore anticipated. Cumulative visual impacts on
sensitive receivers affected by CKR are also anticipated.
Kai
Tak River
The existing Kai Tak Nullah
at the north apron will be transformed into a river channel as a key landscape
feature of Kai Tak. The river channel
will form a major green corridor in shaping the public space in the city
centre. According to the implementation
programme in KTD, construction of the Kai Tak River would commence by about
2013 and completed by around
2020. This project contains works elements of
modification of Kai Tak Nullah; construction of 2 numbers of desilting compounds; and establishment of landscape softwork on Kai Tak Nullah.
Cumulative noise, dust and visual impacts on sensitive receivers
affected by CKR are anticipated.
District
Cooling System
A District Cooling System
(DCS) will be implemented within KTD and the construction has commenced in
2011. The DCS will constitute a seawater pumping
station to be completed by 2013 and a series of pipelines to be completed in
phases after 2013. The seawater pumping
station would also be constructed underground and is located approximately at
the middle of the western coastline of the runway and there are no existing
noise sensitive receivers within 300m and no existing air sensitive receivers
within 500m. It is therefore considered
that the construction of the seawater pumping station would not have
significant contribution on the cumulative construction noise and dust impacts
on the receivers affected by CKR.
The seawater pipework would also be implemented within KTD and be
connected to the pumping stations. Most
of these pipework would be buried underground and
would be constructed in sections. In
addition, most of these work sites would be far away from most of the receivers
in CKR. The construction noise and fugitive dust impacts from the construction
of the pipework system would therefore have
insignificant cumulative impacts.
The construction of both
the pumping stations and the pipework would not
require any dredging and hence there is no cumulative impact on construction
water quality impacts.
Cumulative impact from
district cooling system during operational phase is not expected.
Cruise Terminal
The site formation for Kai
Tak Cruise Terminal is being implemented by CEDD. The scope of works comprises
the construction of a sloping seawall of about 1,100m and a 35m wide and 850m
long apron area for berthing of cruise vessels of different sizes and
capacities, as well as the dredging of about 1.38 million cubic meters of
marine sediments to allow manoeuvring and berthing of mega cruise vessels.
According to the approved
EIA Report for the Dredging Works for Proposed Cruise Terminal at Kai Tak (ref:
AEIAR-115/2007), there are 2 stages of dredging. The first stage of dredging
would involve a total dredging volume of about 1,022,300m3. The
second stage of dredging involving a lesser amount of about 680,000m3.
Further liaison has been made with CEDD and the website of Tourism Commission
and Harbourfront Commission have been reviewed.
According to information available, the dredging works for the cruise terminal
has commenced in 2010 and is anticipated to complete in 2013 for first berth
and 2015 for second berth and remaining dredging works. Maintenance dredging
will be carried out regularly during the construction period. The major
construction works and the E&M works will be completed in 2014.
According to the latest
design for CKR, dredging is required for the temporary reclamation for the
construction of underwater tunnel which is anticipated to commence in 2017 (see
Chapter 3
for more details). The second stages of dredging for the Cruise Terminal may
therefore overlap with the dredging work for the temporary reclamation. Cumulative construction phase water quality
impacts are therefore anticipated.
Since the Cruise Terminal
is located more than 300m and 500m from the noise and air sensitive receivers
respectively for CKR, cumulative noise and air quality impacts are not
anticipated. However, for a conservative assessment in air quality, the
emission sources during the operational phase of the cruise terminal (e.g.
emission from idling cruise and helicopter etc.) would be included in the
assessment.
Interception Facilities at Jordan Valley Box Culvert
There will be a sewage
pumping station and a dry weather flow intercepting and desilting
compound at Jordan Valley Box Culvert provided within Kai Tak Development area
to improve the water quality of Kai Tak Channel. According to the latest
programme, the construction of these interception facilities commenced in 2011
and will be completed by 2013. Therefore, this project would not interface with
the construction of CKR.
Other
Infrastructure (such as Roads)
Some of the infrastructures
such as roads would also be implemented concurrently with CKR. The cumulative
noise, dust and visual impacts during the construction phase would need to be
addressed. Cumulative visual impacts would also be anticipated during the
operational phase.
For the developments in Kai Tak, the following EIA Reports have been
reviewed:
·
EIA for Feasibility Study for South East
Kowloon Development date 1998;
·
EIA for Kai Tak Airport North Apron Decommissioning (EIAO Register No.:
AEIAR-002/1998 );
·
EIA for Comprehensive Feasibility Study
for the Revised Scheme of South East Kowloon Development (EIAO Register No.: AEIAR-044/2001);
·
EIA for Decommissioning of the Former Kai Tak Airport Other than the North Apron (EIAO Register No.: AEIAR-114/2007);
·
EIA for Dredging Works for Proposed Cruise Terminal at Kai Tak (EIAO Register
No.: AEIAR-115/2007); and
·
EIA for Kai Tak Development (EIAO
Register No.: AEIAR-130/2009).
As discussed in the above
sections, the latest landuse for Kai Tak are given in
the latest Outline Zoning Plan (OZP) (No.
S/K22/4) gazetted on 14 Sept 2012 which
are more relevant than the previously approved EIAs. The OZP landuses in the vicinity of CKR have therefore been adopted
for noise, air quality and landscape and visual impact assessment for CKR
EIA. The dredging sequence and volume in the EIA for Dredging Works for
Proposed Cruise Terminal at Kai Tak (EIAO Register No.: AEIAR-115/2007) has
been considered in this CKR EIA. The sediment quality in EIA for Dredging
Works for Proposed Cruise Terminal at Kai Tak (EIAO Register No.:
AEIAR-115/2007) and EIA for Kai Tak Development (EIAO Register No.:
AEIAR-130/2009) has also been considered as part of the baseline
information. In addition, the marine archaeological information presented
in the EIA for Kai Tak Development (EIAO Register No.: AEIAR-130/2009) has been
considered as part of the baseline information.
1.8.2
Kai Tak Development – Roads D3A & D4A
Road D3A and D4A are both
dual 2-lane district distributor roads, which are 1.4km and 0.1km long respectively,
running on the Runway Precinct of KTD. Road D3A is running along the centre of
the Runway Precinct and is replacing the original southern section of Road D3
that runs along the waterfront of the Runway Precinct. Road D4A is an extension
of Road D4 connecting to the proposed Road D3A. They will serve the Cruise Terminal, the Tourism
Node and the development sites in the Runway Precinct.
The construction of these
roads will commence in 2014 tentatively and will be completed by 2017,
which would interface with the construction of CKR. As such, cumulative dust
and noise impact during construction is anticipated. In addition, vehicular
emission from the road network associated with Road D3A and D4A and their
induced traffic would also impact nearby sensitive uses. These cumulative impacts would therefore need
to be addressed.
A separate EIA is being
conducted by CEDD. It is anticipated that their EIA would also address the
cumulative impacts and hence the mitigation measures required.
Trunk Road T2 is a dual
two-lane trunk road of approximately 3.6 km long connecting the CKR and Tseung
Kwan O-Lam Tin Tunnel (TKO-LTT), and will form a new strategic highway network
in order to relieve the existing heavily trafficked road network in the central
and eastern Kowloon as well as Tseung Kwan O.
According to the latest
implementation programme, the construction of Trunk Road T2 and CKR will
probably commence simultaneously in 2014/2015 and will be commissioned by end
2020 and there would be interface on the construction activities. As such,
cumulative dust and noise impact during construction is anticipated. In
addition, vehicular emission from the road network associated with Trunk Road
T2 and its induced traffic would also impact nearby sensitive uses. These cumulative impacts would therefore need
to be addressed.
A separate EIA is being
conducted by CEDD. It is anticipated that their EIA would also address the
cumulative impacts and hence the mitigation measures required.
1.8.4
Proposed Road Improvement Works in West Kowloon
Reclamation Development
Upon the completion of
substantial developments in West Kowloon Reclamation Area (WKRA) including West
Kowloon Terminus of the XRL, WKCD, building developments above the railway
stations and new transport facilities, improvement to the existing road
infrastructure in the WKRA is required to provide better infrastructural
support to the above-mentioned developments. The proposed road improvement
works include widening of elevated Nga Cheung Road (NCR) plus new slip road
from Hoi Po Road to West Kowloon Highway (WKH) northbound, provision of new
link road from elevated NCR to Western Harbour Crossing (WHC), provision of new
link road from WKH southbound to NCR, interim road improvement option along
Canton Road, and improvement works at the junction of Canton Road/Ferry
Street/Jordon Road (EIA Study Brief No. ESB-236/2011 “Proposed Road Improvement
Works in West Kowloon Reclamation Development Phase 1”).
These road improvement
works are scheduled to commence in early 2014 and complete in 2015, which will
interface with the construction of CKR. As such, cumulative dust and noise
impact during construction is anticipated. In addition, vehicular emission from
its induced traffic and road networks would generate cumulative operational air
quality impact. Hence, the latest alignment of road networks within 500m study
area of the CKR would therefore be included in the assessment.
A separate EIA is being
conducted by HyD. It is anticipated that their EIA
would also address the cumulative impacts and hence the mitigation measures
required.
1.8.5
Kwun Tong Line Extension (KTE) & Associated Essential Public Infrastructure Works (EPIWs)
The KTE is an approximately
2.6km extension of the existing Kwun Tong Line from Yau Ma Tei Station to a new
railway station at Whampoa and an interchange with SCL (TAW-HUH) at Ho Man Tin
Station. The KTE includes the construction of the running line from Yau Ma Tei
Station through to Ho Man Tin Station and Ho Man Tin Station to Whampoa
Station, the proposed Ho Man Tin Station, Whampoa Station and their associated
structures.
The construction works of
KTE has commenced in mid-2011 and is scheduled for completion in 2015 according
to the approved EIA Study “Kwun Tong Line Extension” (AEIAR-154/2010). In
particular, all the major civil works would be completed by 2014 and only some
minor reinstatement works would be carried out within the first quarter of
2015. On the other hand, operation of
the KTE and EPIW would not cause air quality emission and hence, no cumulative
operational air quality impact is anticipated. Similar to the operation of SCL
(TAW-HUH), cumulative airborne and groundborne noise
impact is also not anticipated.
The 3 EPIWs have also been
assessed as concurrent projects (for potential cumulative impacts) in the
approved KTE EIA Report. The 3 EPIWs for KTE are summarised below:
Oi Man Estate and Ho Man
Tin Estate Connections
Oi Man Estate and Ho Man Tin Estate are situated to the west and north side
respectively of the proposed Ho Man Tin Station (HOM), an interchange station
between KTE and SCL (TAW-HUH). In order to provide better pedestrian
connectivity from the station to these estates and enhance the walking
environmental of the local area, a pedestrian link system comprising
subways/covered walkways/covered footbridges was proposed. This pedestrian link will provide a direct,
safe and barrier free connection between HOM and the neighbouring estates including
Oi Man Estate and Ho Man Tin Estate. One
pedestrian lift will be constructed adjacent to the proposed works area for the
ventilation building in the Central Portion near Fat Kwong
Street, but given the small nature of the works, it is unlikely to cause
additional visual impact to the overall adjacent and planned VSRs due to other
projects considered.
Public Transport Facilities
The public transport facilities
including a lay-by of about 160 m in length for buses and green minibuses and 1
general pick-up/drop off facilities along Chung Hau
Street at the northwest of Ho Man Tin Station.
While this EPIW is outside
300m of the study area, cumulative noise impact is considered insignificant.
Chatham
Road North Covered Footbridge
A new covered footbridge across
Chatham Road North connecting the station entrance of HOM near Yan Fung Street
Rest Garden to Wuhu Street, will be built and integrated with the existing
Chatham Road Footbridge. The bridge deck of the
existing Chatham Road Footbridge will be demolished while the current lift
shafts and staircases will be retained remain as the vertical circulation route
between the new footbridge level and street level. A new escalator landing will
be constructed to the south end of the footbridge at the Wuhu Street Temporary
Playground.
The new bridge is designed
in 3 spans with the longest span up to 53m spanning across Chatham Road North.
Provision for landscape planting will be allowed on both sides of the
footbridge. Pier supports are located on the island on the side of the dual
carriageway. Pre-bored H piles foundation will be adopted as the foundation of
the new footbridge.
While this EPIW is outside
300m of the study area, cumulative noise impact is considered insignificant.
1.8.6
Shatin to Central Link – Tai Wai to Hung Hom Section
(SCL (TAW-HUH))
SCL (TAW-HUH) is an approximately 11km long
extension of the Ma On Shan Line (MOL) from Tai Wai through new stations,
including Hin Keng Station (HIK), Diamond Hill Station (DIH), Kai Tak Station
(KAT), To Kwa Wan Station (TKW), Ma Tau Wai Station (MTW), Ho Man Tin Station
(HOM) and connects the West Rail Line at Hung Hom Station (HUH). Most of the
sections would be underground except for a section at Hin Keng, and another
section at Hung Hom, where the alignments need to be raised and linked with the
Ma On Shan Line and the West Rail Line respectively to
form a strategic east-west rail corridor.
SCL (TAW-HUH) has commenced its construction
in 2012 with completion in 2018, while the major civil construction works near
the Project will be completed by 2016. It will therefore be constructed
concurrently with CKR. Cumulative impact is therefore anticipated. All the
construction works within 500m from the project boundary during this period,
including site clearance, ground excavation, cut-and-cover
tunnel section etc., presented in the EIA report for SCL (TAW-HUH) will be
included in this assessment to account for the cumulative impacts. However, the
cumulative construction noise impacts are obstructed by nearby building of the
construction sites. Therefore, cumulative construction noise impacts are not
anticipated. Moreover, all the dredging works for SCL (TAW-HUH) (i.e. the minor
dredging works for Kai Tak Runway Barging Facility) would have been completed
in 2012. It is therefore considered that
there would be no cumulative water quality impacts from the marine works of SCL
(TAW-HUH). Permanent above-ground structures, however, will pose cumulative
landscape and visual impacts on some receivers during operational phase. The associated
landscape and visual impacts were assessed and the mitigation measures have
been proposed to reduce the impacts.
During the operational phase of the SCL
(TAW-HUH), as only electrified trains would be operated, emissions that will
cause air quality impact are not anticipated. No cumulative airborne and groundborne noise impact is also anticipated as the
sections within 500m from the project boundary would be underground. As such,
it is considered that there will be no cumulative air quality and noise impacts
with the SCL (TAW-HUH) during the operational phase of CKR.
The SCL – Hung Hom To
Admiralty Section and SCL Protection Works at CBTS are located at more than
500m away and hence would not have significant cumulative impacts.
1.8.7
Express Rail Link (XRL) – West Kowloon Terminus
The Hong Kong Section of
Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL) will connect West Kowloon
Terminus to the Mainland section of XRL at Hongmian
Dao, southwest of Lok Ma Chau Terminus. The XRL will
provide cross-boundary services between stations at Hong Kong, Futian, Longhua, Humen, Shibi, and other major
Mainland cities.
The XRL will run as an
underground railway in dedicated tunnels from West Kowloon Terminus (WKT) to
the boundary crossing point at Huanggang, which is
approximately 26km long. Major construction works in the vicinity of the CKR
includes the construction of the proposed WKT and the cut-and-cover tunnel
section near Jordan Road. According to the approved EIA Study “Hong Kong
Section of Guangzhou - Shenzhen - Hong Kong Express Rail Link”
(AEIAR-143/2009), all the construction works in West Kowloon area is scheduled
to be completed by end of 2014. According
to the latest VEP-377/2012 approved by EPD on 26 Oct 2012, the location of
concrete batching plant for XRL will be revised. As
stated in this VEP, the associated construction programme of (Works Area V,
Zone 1 to Zone 3) will be six-month beyond the construction programme stated in
the XRL EIA, i.e. June 2015. Cumulative construction airborne noise impact
would need to be assessed. However,
given the separation distance between the nearest NSR (W-P12 – The Coronation)
and (Works Area V, Zone 1 to Zone 3) is greater than 300m, the cumulative
construction airborne noise impact is considered insignificant. Since the trains of XRL will be electrically operated, no cumulative
operational air quality impact is anticipated. Cumulative airborne and groundborne noise impact is also not anticipated.
1.8.8
Road Works at West Kowloon
Upon the opening of West
Kowloon Terminus of the XRL and the future development of the West Kowloon
Cultural District (WKCD), additional traffic capacity and network restructuring
within the West Kowloon Reclamation Area (WKRA) is required to accommodate the
increasing traffic demand. The proposed roads include Road D1A, Road D1, Lin
Cheung Road-Austin Road West Underpass and upgrading of Austin Road West.
These road works are
currently being under construction and is expected to be completed by 2014,
which will not interface with the construction of CKR. However, the vehicular
emission from its induced traffic and road networks would generate cumulative
operational air quality impact. Hence, the road networks as illustrated in the
approved EIA Study “Road Works at West Kowloon” (AEIAR-141/2009) within 500m
study area of the CKR would therefore be included in the assessment.
1.8.9
Upgrading of Central and East Kowloon Sewerage
This project aims to
upgrade the existing sewerage facilities as well as provision of new sewerage
facilities to collect and convey sewage within Central and East Kowloon to
cater for the planned and forecast developments and population changes in these
areas. The works comprises upgrading and construction of about 21 km long
sewers and associated sewerage works as well as reviewing and/or upgrading of
17 existing Dry Weather Flow Interceptors (DWFIs) and associated improvement
works in Central and East Kowloon. Phase 1 will be completed by 2012 while
Phase 2 and the remaining works of this project is to
be implemented from 2011 through 2019. According to the information provided by
DSD/CM, interface with CKR is considered minimal. Moreover, in view of the
small scale of works of this project, cumulative environmental impact is not
expected.
1.8.10
Replacement and Rehabilitation of Watermains
The works of this project
comprises the replacement and rehabilitation of aged fresh and salt water mains
in areas including West Kowloon, Yau Tsim Mong, Kowloon City, Kwun Tong
District in order to improve the water supply networks. The
construction of Stage 4 of the project commenced in early 2011 for completion
in 2015. In view of the small scale of works of this project, cumulative
environmental impact is not expected.
1.8.11
Widening of Gascoigne Road Flyover
The existing Gascoigne Road Flyover (GRF) is about
1.2 km long. It operates mainly as a two-way road with one traffic lane in each
direction. It is proposed to widen the GRF to a dual 2-lane carriageway to
increase its capacity.
It is advised that the need and its
implementation programme of the Widening of GRF is to
be revisited after the commissioning of CKR. However, the respective project
proponent considers that it is target to have the Widening of GRF beyond 2021.
Therefore, the Widening of GRF is no longer considered as concurrent project.
Nonetheless, the vehicular emission from its induced traffic would be taken
account of in the operational air quality impact assessment.
As part of this Project, a section of GRF to
be affected by CKR would be reprovisioned. The
assessment would therefore need to address the potential construction noise and dust impacts due to the construction works of the reprovisioned
section of GRF.
1.8.12
Submarine Gas Pipelines
An EIA Study has been conducted for the “Installation
of Submarine Gas Pipelines and Associated Facilities from Ma Tau Kok to North
Point for Former Kai Tak Airport Development” (ref: AEIAR-153/2010).
It would include twin submarine gas pipelines
across the harbour, 2 land gas pipelines at To Kwa Wan and North Point, and 2
gas stations for pigging operation. According to the latest information
provided by Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited, the construction programme
have commenced in the 4th quarter of 2011 for completion by the end of 2013. It
would not overlap with dredging required for the proposed CKR underwater tunnel
section and cumulative construction impact is not expected.
Cumulative operational impacts from submarine
gas pipelines are also not expected.
1.8.13
Tseung Kwan O – Lam Tin Tunnel
With reference to the Project Profile (PP-361/2008) and the EIA Study Brief (ESB-195/2008) on TKO-LTT, the project is to construct
a dual two-lane highway connecting TKO at Po Yap Road in the east with Trunk
Road T2 in Kai Tak Development in the west.
According to latest available information, the project involves a 4.2km long
highway with about 2.6km of the highway is in the form of tunnel. The TKO-LTT will connect
CBL to form a new external road link to meet the anticipated traffic flow in
connection with further population intake and development in TKO New Town.
According to the latest implementation
programme, the tentative commencement and commissioning dates for the
construction works of TKO-LTT is early 2016 and end 2020 respectively. Nonetheless, this project is located outside 500 m from the Project
boundary. Only the vehicular emission from its induced traffic would be taken
account of in the operational air quality impact assessment.
A separate EIA is being conducted by CEDD. It
is anticipated that their EIA would also address the cumulative impacts and
hence the mitigation measures required.
With reference to the Project Profile (PP-362/2008) and the EIA Study Brief (ESB-196/2008) on CBL, the project is to
construct an approximately 1.8 km long dual two-lane road mainly on viaduct
with a footpath and a cycle track across the Junk Bay mainly on viaduct. The
CBL will connect the TKO-LTT to Wan Po Road near Area 86 of Tseung Kwan O (TKO) so that traffic to and
from the southeastern areas of TKO will be able to
by-pass the TKO town centre and avoid overloading the roads in TKO town centre.
According to the latest implementation
programme, the tentative commencement and commissioning dates for the
construction of the CBL is end 2016 and end 2020 respectively. Nonetheless, this project is located outside 500 m from the Project
boundary. Only the vehicular emission from its induced traffic would be taken
account of in the operational air quality impact assessment.
A separate EIA is being conducted by CEDD. It
is anticipated that their EIA would also address the cumulative impacts and
hence the mitigation measures required.
1.8.15
West Kowloon Cultural District
With reference to the Project Profile
(PP-453/2011) and the EIA Study Brief (ESB-237/2011), the West Kowloon Cultural
District (WKCD) is an important strategic project that will support Hong Kong’s
development as a creative economy and global metropolis, and is a major
initiative to meet the long-term infrastructure needs of Hong Kong’s arts and
cultural development. The WKCD site is located on the West Kowloon Reclamation,
comprising approximately 40 ha of previously undeveloped land bordering the
Jordan/Tsim Sha Tsui area.
Construction of critical elements of the WKCD
may begin as early as 2013 so as to commission the Phase 1 arts and cultural
facilities in stages starting from 2014/2015. The proposed implementation plan
for WKCD is divided into three phases, i.e. 2014-2017 for Phase 1, 2017-2020
for Phase 2 and beyond 2020 for Phase 3. Nonetheless, this project is located
outside 500 m from the Project boundary. Only the vehicular emission from its
induced traffic would be taken account of in the operational air quality impact
assessment.
A separate EIA is being conducted by the
respective project proponent. It is anticipated that their EIA would also
address the cumulative impacts and hence the mitigation measures required.
1.8.16
Summary of Concurrent Projects
Table 1.2 summarises the major
concurrent projects in the vicinity of the Project and the potential cumulative
impacts during the construction and operation of the proposed CKR. Figure 1.4
illustrates the locations of each concurrent project. As most of the projects are undergoing design
development/detailed design and their implementation programmes and design
layouts are subject to changes, details of the concurrent projects will be
continually reviewed and discussed with the respective project proponents
during the course of EIA study.
Table
1.2 Summary of
Potential Concurrent Projects
|
Programme
[2] |
Potential
Cumulative Environmental Impacts |
|||||
|
No. |
Concurrent Projects |
Project |
Start |
Complete |
Construction
Phase |
Operational
Phase |
|
1 |
Kai Tak Development Engineering
Study cum Design and Construction of Advance Works – Investigation, Design
and Construction Kai Tak Development –
Infrastructure at Former Runway and Remaining Areas of North Apron and
Improvement of adjacent Waterways – Design and Construction |
CEDD |
2009 |
Beyond 2020 |
||
|
·
Site Formation for Kai Tak Cruise Terminal
Development |
11/2009 |
2014 |
·
Hydrodynamic and Water Quality |
·
Nil |
||
|
·
Kai Tak Development - Advance infrastructure works
for developments at the southern part of the former runway (Including Roads D4, D3A, D4A and part of Roads
D3) |
2014 |
2017 |
·
Fugitive dust ·
Airborne noise ·
Landscape & visual |
·
Traffic noise and vehicular emission caused by
induced traffic |
||
|
·
Kai Tak Development - Remaining Infrastructure
Works for Developments at the Former Runway (Including part of Roads D3) |
2015 |
2020 |
·
Fugitive dust ·
Airborne noise ·
Landscape & visual |
·
Traffic noise and vehicular emission caused by
induced traffic |
||
|
·
Kai Tak Development Infrastructure at north apron
area of Kai Tak Airport (Including part of Roads
D3) |
2011 |
2018 |
·
Fugitive dust ·
Airborne noise ·
Landscape & visual |
·
Traffic noise and vehicular emission caused by
induced traffic |
||
|
·
Kai Tak Nullah modification works |
Early 2013 |
Mid 2018 |
·
Fugitive dust ·
Airborne noise ·
Landscape & visual |
·
Nil |
||
|
·
Road D2 and associated works |
Mid 2013 |
End 2017 |
·
Fugitive dust ·
Airborne noise ·
Landscape & visual |
·
Traffic noise and vehicular emission caused by
induced traffic |
||
|
·
Kai Tak Development - Kai Tak Approach Channel
and Kwun Tong Typhoon Shelter Improvement Works (Phase 1) |
Mid
2011 |
Sept
2014 |
·
Hydrodynamic and Water Quality |
·
Nil |
||
|
·
600-metre opening at former airport runway |
Land-based construction: 2015 Opening and dredging: 2018 (To be reviewed by Development Bureau in end
2013) |
Land-based construction: 2018 Opening and dredging: 2018 (To be reviewed by Development Bureau
in end 2013) |
·
Hydrodynamic and Water Quality |
·
Nil |
||
|
2 |
Multi-Purpose Stadium Complex at
Kai Tak |
Arch SD |
2015 |
2020 |
·
Fugitive dust ·
Airborne noise |
·
Landscape & visual |
|
3 |
Design-Build-Operate a District Cooling
System (Phase II Works) at Kai Tak Development |
EMSD |
2011 |
Post 2013 |
·
Nil |
·
Nil |
|
4 |
Provision of Interception
Facilities at Jordan Valley Box Culvert |
DSD |
2011 |
2013 |
·
Nil |
·
Nil |
|
5 |
Kai Tak Development – Trunk Road T2
and Infrastructure at South Apron – Investigation, Design and Construction |
CEDD |
2014/2015 |
End 2020 |
·
Fugitive dust ·
Airborne noise |
·
Traffic noise and vehicular emission caused by
induced traffic |
|
6 |
Proposed Road Improvement in West Kowloon
Reclamation Development - Feasibility |
HyD |
Early 2014 |
2015 |
·
Fugitive dust ·
Airborne noise |
·
Traffic noise and vehicular emission caused by
induced traffic |
|
7 |
Kwun Tong Line Extension
(Construction of Ho Man Tin Station & EPIW) |
MTR |
2011 |
2015 |
·
Nil |
·
Nil |
|
8 |
Shatin to Central Link (Tai Wai to
Hung Hom) |
MTR |
Mid 2012 |
2018 |
·
Fugitive dust ·
Landscape & visual |
·
Landscape & visual |
|
9 |
Hong Kong Section of
Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (Construction of West Kowloon
Terminus) |
MTR |
01/2010 |
2015 |
·
Nil |
·
Nil |
|
10 |
Road Works at West Kowloon |
MTR |
2011 |
2014 |
·
Nil |
·
Traffic noise and vehicular emission caused by
induced traffic |
|
11 |
Upgrading of Central and East
Kowloon sewerage - phase 2 |
DSD |
Mid 2011 |
End 2015 |
·
Nil |
·
Nil |
|
12 |
Upgrading of Central and East
Kowloon sewerage |
DSD |
Mid 2013 |
End 2019 |
·
Nil |
·
Nil |
|
13 |
Replacement and Rehabilitation of Watermains, Stage 4 Phase 1 |
WSD |
03/2011 |
12/2015 |
·
Nil |
·
Nil |
|
14 |
Replacement and Rehabilitation of Watermains Stage 4 - remaining works |
WSD |
03/2012 |
12/2015 |
·
Nil |
·
Nil |
|
15 |
Widening of Gascoigne Road Flyover |
HyD |
under review |
under review |
·
Nil |
·
Traffic noise and vehicular emission caused by
induced traffic |
|
16 |
Installation of Submarine Gas
Pipelines and Associated Facilities from To Kwa Wan to North Point for Former
Kai Tak Airport Development |
Hong Kong & China Gas Company Ltd |
Q4 2011 |
End 2013 |
·
Nil |
·
Nil |
|
17 |
Tseung Kwan O – Lam Tin Tunnel[1] |
CEDD |
Early 2016 |
End 2020 |
·
Nil |
·
Traffic noise and vehicular emission caused by
induced traffic |
|
18 |
Cross Bay Link[1] |
CEDD |
End 2016 |
End 2020 |
·
Nil |
·
Traffic noise and vehicular emission caused by
induced traffic |
|
19 |
West Kowloon Cultural District[1] |
WKCDA |
2013 |
Beyond 2020 |
·
Nil |
·
Traffic noise and vehicular emission caused by
induced traffic |
Note: [1] These concurrent projects are located
outside 500m from the Project boundary. Only induced traffic are
included.
[2] All the
completion years and commissioning years of the interface projects are tentative
only for the purpose of EIA, and may be subject to further development by the
respective project proponents.
1.9
Structure of this EIA Report
The structure of this EIA
report is outlined below for ease of reference.
|
Chapter |
Title |
Aims |
|
1 |
Introduction |
Introduces the
background information and the layout of the EIA Report. |
|
2 |
Alternative
Alignment Options |
Summarises the various options considered and the main reasons for
adopting the scheme recommended. |
|
3 |
Project
Description and Construction Methodology |
Describes the
project requirements covering the study area and site location, project
nature and scope and the implementation programme,
and describes relevant main construction/engineering aspects for the recommended
scheme. |
|
4 |
Air Quality Impact |
Presents the
legislation, methodology, assessment and recommendations for air quality impacts. |
|
5 |
Noise Impact |
Presents the
legislation, methodology, assessment and recommendations for noise impacts. |
|
6 |
Water Quality Impact |
Presents the
legislation, methodology, assessment and recommendations for water quality impacts. |
|
7 |
Waste
Management Implications |
Presents the
legislation, methodology, assessment and recommendations for waste
management. |
|
8 |
Land
Contamination Impact |
Presents the
legislation, methodology, assessment and recommendations for land
contamination evaluation. |
|
9 |
Hazard Assessment |
Presents the
legislation, methodology, assessment and recommendations for hazardous
impacts. |
|
10 |
Landscape and Visual Impact |
Presents the
legislation, methodology, assessment and recommendations for landscape and
visual impacts. |
|
11 |
Impact on Cultural
Heritage(Terrestrial &Marine Archaeology) |
Presents the
legislation, methodology, assessment and recommendations for cultural
heritage impacts (terrestrial & marine
archaeology). |
|
12 |
Impact on Cultural
Heritage(Built Heritage) |
Presents the
legislation, methodology, assessment and recommendations for cultural
heritage impacts (built heritage). |
|
13 |
EM&A Requirements |
Presents the EM&A requirements. |
|
14 |
Summary
of Environmental Outcomes |
Presents the Key
Environmental Outcomes. |
|
15 |
Conclusion |
Summarises the findings. |