Updated at 1.06pm: Two new boundary bridges and an extended footbridge at Hong Kong's border crossings would open to the public next week, a government spokesman said on Friday. A new boundary bridge between the Sha Tau Kok and Shatoujiao Control Points will open at 10am next Wednesday. The spokesman said an extended portion of the Lo Wu Cross-boundary Footbridge would also open - from 6.30am on Wednesday. And a new boundary bridge between the Lok Ma Chau and Huanggang Control Points for goods vehicles would be ready at 10am on Wednesday. This would be for vehicles travelling towards Hong Kong. Trucks going north towards Shenzhen could use the bridge from 11am, the spokesman explained. The new dual two-lane boundary bridge will run next to an existing boundary bridge. When opened, it will be used exclusively by goods vehicles, while the existing bridge will be used only by passenger vehicles. It would increase road capacity and improve traffic flow and safety, said the spokesman. 'The project will improve the manoeuvring of northbound vehicles, particularly heavy vehicles, on the Shenzhen side of the crossing and add to the capacity of the existing bridge,' he added. Speed limits on the new Lok Ma Chau and Sha Tau Kok boundary bridges will be 50km an hour. Improvements to the entire Lo Wu cross-boundary footbridge are also being carried out. The footbridge would be enclosed with glazing and cladding and widened by seven metres, said the spokesman. 'It will offer a more comfortable environment for cross-boundary travellers,' the spokesman said. 'With the completion of the three projects, vehicles and people can move across the boundary more smoothly than before,' he added.
