Delaying proposed Trunk Road T4 in Hong Kong by decade would add HK$5 billion in costs, transport officials say
- Transport bureau yet again defends Trunk Road T4 project connecting Ma On Shan to Tsing Sha Highway and Shing Mun Tunnel Road after lawmakers raise concerns
- Bureau says lawmakers need to consider transport benefits, public convenience and economic benefits project would bring
Transport officials have warned that a 10-year delay of a proposed HK$7 billion (US$894 million) trunk road in Hong Kong could add HK$5 billion in social costs to the project after a funding request to lawmakers was withdrawn.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, the Transport and Logistics Bureau defended the Trunk Road T4 project connecting Ma On Shan to Tsing Sha Highway and Shing Mun Tunnel Road as “cost effective, cost conscious, cost comparable and cost competitive”. It was the second such post in three days.
The bureau said the road would provide a convenient route for residents of Ma On Shan and Sha Tin, as well as help divert and relieve traffic pressure on Tai Po Road and the Tolo Highway.
The new trunk road would cut travel times by 40 per cent and save up to HK$500 million a year when taking into account the current and future population growth of Ma On Shan and Sha Tin, the bureau said.
“If the project is delayed for another 10 years, the social cost will be as much as HK$5 billion” it said.
Authorities withdrew a HK$7.16 billion funding request for the proposed trunk road last month, just a day before it was to be discussed in the Legislative Council, on the grounds that lawmakers needed more information.
It was speculated the request would not receive enough votes, with legislators raising concerns noting the cost was now six times the original HK$1.1 billion estimate in 2006.
The latest proposal would involve the construction of two dual-lane trunk roads spanning 2.3km (1.4 miles), the widening of existing roads and the construction of elevated foot and cycling paths.
The bureau said on Sunday it understood the lawmakers had concerns about the project but stressed the need to also consider the transport benefits, public convenience and economic benefits it would bring.
Hong Kong authorities withdraw funding proposal for trunk road at last moment
It argued that while the cost might seem high, the design was practical and “public facilities rightly used are worth the cost”.
In a response to concerns about the price tag, the bureau said it had conducted a review and found the construction unit cost of flyovers and tunnels were comparable to similar recent projects such as the Central Kowloon Route and Tseung Kwan O-Lam Tin Tunnel.
The bureau maintained that simply revisiting the original proposal in 2006 in a bid to reduce costs would be futile, noting restarting public consultation would waste at least a year, further exacerbating traffic woes in the area.
It added the current design had more features than the initial 2006 proposal, such as new recreational facilities.
