New bridge will be better

I REFER to Ms C. Y. Lee's letter headlined, ''Footbridge a serious loss'' (South China Morning Post, March 24).

We share Ms Lee's view that the Fenwick Street footbridge provides an important link for pedestrians seeking access to a number of public venues in northwest Wan Chai.

It is for this reason that the footbridge is being reconstructed to provide a better service for the public.

The reconstruction will take about one more year to complete. It is scheduled to be completed in May, 1995.

During this period pedestrians are being diverted and will use the Luard Road footbridge which is about 150 metres away.

Ms Lee's suggestion to provide a temporary replacement footbridge was considered, but the high cost of such a temporary structure could not be justified. Alternatively, in view of the large number of pedestrians now using the Luard Road footbridge duringlunch time and the difficulty in crossing the service road, the landing at the lower end of the staircase will be enlarged to provide adequate refuge for pedestrians; and a traffic signal controlled crossing will be installed to enable pedestrians to crossthe service road at ground-level.

The footbridge opposite the Luk Kwok Hotel was obstructed by some construction work undertaken to instal watermains. Most of this obstruction was removed last month, with the exception of two small areas. There is now enough room for pedestrians to walk through safely.

LUCY HO SAU-PING Senior Engineer/Highways Complaints Highways Department