1
Introduction
1.1.1 The title of the Project is “Improvement to So Kwun Po Interchange”
(hereafter referred to as the Project).
1.1.2
The So Kwun Po Interchange (SKPIC) is one of the three major
interchanges in the North District connecting the northern and southern parts
of Fanling and Sheung Shui. The SKPIC has been operating close to its
capacity. The SKPIC was allegedly one of the causes of several numbers of
serious traffic gridlocks in the North District in the past few years.
1.1.3
Media reports had also suggested that the series of traffic incidents
that occurred in January 2016, which paralysed and stranded the District’s
external traffic links, was partly due to the traffic gridlock and overcapacity
at the Kai Leng Roundabout and other road junctions in the District. The
traffic chaos that appeared in these incidents also highlighted the fragility
and deficiencies of existing transport infrastructure at some locations in the
District where upgrading and/or improvement works were necessary to rectify the
situation. The North District Council (NDC) had made requests to the
Government for its improvements on various occasions. With the
anticipated population increase in the North District following the completion
of public and private housing developments which are under planning, the
traffic condition at the SKPIC is expected to deteriorate further.
1.1.4
In order to meet anticipated traffic needs and to address public
demands, a new road link and junction modification works will be carried out to
improve the existing SKPIC.
1.1.5
To address the above congestion problem, the Traffic
and Transport Committee of NDC has earlier proposed a new North to South Link
in an attempt to mitigate the current traffic situation.
1.1.6
WSP (Asia) Ltd. (WSP) is commissioned by the Civil
Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) of the Hong Kong Government
Special Administrative Region to undertake this Consultancy of “Improvement to
So Kwun Po Interchange – Investigation, Design and Construction”, with
Agreement No. CE1/2021 (HY). The commencement date of the Consultancy is 20
September 2021.
1.2
Purpose, Objective and Benefits of the Project
1.2.1 The purpose of the Project is to construct a new carriageway linking
San Wan Road and Pak Wo Road directly. The proposal will not only improve
the traffic capacity of Kai Leng Roundabout but can also serve as the
alternative route for the case of traffic incidents at SKPIC, in order to
maintain smooth traffic for accessing the northern and southern side of Fanling
Highway during contingency.
1.2.2 The objective of this Project is to improve SKPIC by:
Ÿ Provision of a new direct road link, referred to as So Kwun Po Link (SKPL),
comprising an at-grade road, an underpass, a single 2-lane flyover (main ramp)
and a single 1-lane flyover (side ramp) connecting San Wan Road on the north
side of SKPL and Pak Wo Road on the south side of SKPIC;
Ÿ Realignment of So Kwun
Po Road between SKPIC and Pak Wo Road;
Ÿ Junction modification
works at San Wan Road and Pak Wo Road;
Ÿ Reprovisioning of the
affected footpaths, cycle tracks and staircases; and
Ÿ Associated roadworks,
geotechnical works, landscape works, drainage works, utility works, traffic
aids installation, traffic signal modification works, environmental mitigation
measures, street lighting and street furniture, and other ancillary works.
1.2.3 The scope of the Project mainly comprises:
(a) construction of north-south link road of about 700m connecting Pak
Wo Road and San Wan Road;
(b) reconstruction of sections of So Kwun Po Road near North District
Park;
(c) widening of the north-western slip road from So Kwun Po Road to San
Wan Road;
(d) reconstruction/realignment of So Kwun Po Road between Kai Leng
Roundabout and Pak Wo Road;
(e) improvement works at the junction of San Wan Road and the proposed
north-south link road;
(f)
improvement works at the junction of Pak Wo Road and So
Kwun Po Road;
(g) modification of the existing pedestrian subway connecting North
District Park underneath So Kwun Po Road;
(h) construction of a lift and a staircase linking San Wan Road and
elevated So Kwun Po Road;
(i)
construction of a pedestrian subway across So Kwun Po
Road near Pak Wo Road;
(j)
re-provision of the skating rink within North District
Park affected by the road works; and
(k)
associated works including geotechnical, landscape,
drainage, water, electrical and mechanical, environmental mitigations, street
lighting and utilities works, as well as installation of street furniture and
traffic aids.
1.3.1 A Project Profile (No. PP-616/2021) was submitted to the EPD on 6
January 2021 for application for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Study
Brief under Section 5(1)(a) of the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance
(EIAO) and the EIA Study Brief No. ESB-338/2021 for the Project was issued on 2
February 2021 under the EIAO.
1.3.2 The Project comprises the following which are classified as a
Designated Project (DP) under Part I, Schedule 2 of the updated EIAO which is
implemented on 30 June 2023:
Item A.1 “A carriageway for motor vehicles that is an expressway,
trunk road, primary distributor road or district distributor road.”
1.3.3
The proposed roads listed below (See Figure 1.1) under the Project comprise primary distributor (PD) roads and
district distributor (DD) roads, which constitute a DP item under Item A.1 of
Part I, Schedule 2 of EIAO.
·
Proposed roads classified as PD:
Ÿ A single 2-lane flyover
(main ramp) and a single 1-lane flyover (side ramp) across Kai Leng Roundabout;
and
Ÿ A single 2-lane
underpass underneath So Kwun Po Road.
Ÿ Proposed roads classified as
DD:
Ÿ An at-grade road connecting San Wan Road and the proposed flyover;
and
Ÿ An at-grade road connecting the proposed flyover and Pak Wo Road.
1.4
Purpose of the EIA Study
1.4.1 The purpose of the EIA study is to provide information on the nature
and extent of environmental impacts arising from the construction and operation
of the Project and the associated works that take place concurrently.
This information will contribute to decisions on:
Ÿ the overall
acceptability of any adverse environmental consequences that are likely to
arise as a result of the Project;
Ÿ the conditions and
requirements for the detailed design, construction and operation of the Project
to mitigate against adverse environmental consequences wherever practicable;
and
Ÿ the acceptability of
residual impacts after the proposed mitigation measures are implemented.
1.5 Objectives of the EIA Study
1.5.1 The objectives of the EIA study as defined in Section 2 of the EIA
Study Brief are as follows:
(i)
to describe the Project and associated works together
with the requirements and environmental benefits for carrying out the proposed
Project;
(ii)
to identify and describe the elements of the community
and environment likely to be affected by the Project and/or likely to cause
adverse impacts to the Project, including both the natural and man-made
environment and the associated environmental constraints;
(iii)
to identify and quantify emission sources and determine
the significance of impacts on sensitive receivers and potential affected uses;
(iv)
to identify and quantify potential waste management
issues and impacts arising as a result of the construction activities of the
Project;
(v)
to identify and quantify contaminated land within any
Project Area for development works, and to propose measures to avoid disposal
in the first instance;
(vi)
to identify, assess and quantify any potential
ecological impacts arising from the construction and operation of the Project,
including potential losses or damage to flora, fauna and natural habitats; and
to propose measures to mitigate these impacts;
(vii)
to identify any potential landscape and visual impacts
and to propose measures to mitigate these impacts;
(viii)
to identify any adverse impacts on cultural heritage
and to propose measures to mitigate these impacts;
(ix)
to propose the provision of infrastructure or
mitigation measures so as to minimise pollution, environmental disturbance and
nuisance during construction and operation of the Project;
(x)
to investigate the feasibility, practicability,
effectiveness and implications of the proposed mitigation measures;
(xi)
to identify, predict and evaluate the residual (i.e.
after practicable mitigation) environmental impacts and the cumulative effects
expected to arise during the construction and operation phases of the Project
in relation to the sensitive receivers and potential affected uses;
(xii)
to identify, assess and specify methods, measures and
standards, to be included in the detailed design, construction and operation of
the Project which are necessary to mitigate these environmental impacts and
cumulative effects and reduce them to acceptable levels;
(xiii)
to investigate the extent of secondary environmental
impacts that may arise from the proposed mitigation measures and to identify
constraints associated with the mitigation measures recommended in the EIA
study, as well as provision of any secondary modification;
(xiv)
to design and specify the environmental monitoring and
audit requirements to ensure the implementation and the effectiveness of the
environmental protection and pollution control measures adopted; and
(xv)
to identify any additional studies necessary to
implement the mitigation measures of monitoring and proposals recommended in
the EIA report.
1.6
Structure of the EIA Report
1.6.1 The background of the Project, description of the Project, objectives
and scope of the EIA study are introduced in this section. Details of
considerations of alternative options are provided in Section 2. Sections
3 to 10 detail the relevant legislation, environmental conditions, assessment
criteria, methodology and results and recommended mitigation measures of the
technical assessments.
1.6.2 Sections 3 to 10 are outlined as follows:
Ÿ Section 3: Air Quality
Impact;
Ÿ Section 4: Noise
Impact;
Ÿ Section 5: Water
Quality Impact;
Ÿ Section 6: Waste
Management Implications;
Ÿ Section 7: Land
Contamination;
Ÿ Section 8: Ecological
Impact;
Ÿ Section 9: Landscape
and Visual Impact; and
Ÿ Section 10: Impact on
Cultural Heritage.
1.6.3 An outline of the requirements for the Environmental Monitoring and
Audit (EM&A) is presented in Section 11. The EM&A programme is
presented in detail in a separate EM&A Manual. A summary of
environmental outcomes is provided in Section 12 and a conclusion of the whole
assessment is given in Section 13.
1.6.4 An Executive Summary has been prepared as a separate document in
both Chinese and English, which contains summaries of the key findings,
recommendations and conclusions of the EIA Report.