Lawmaker Lau Kong-wah has urged the government to speed up talks with the operator of Route 3 on diverting traffic to the underused highway, with the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Western Corridor set to open towards the end of this year.
Speaking on an inspection visit to the Hong Kong landing point of the cable-stayed bridge section of the Western Corridor in Yuen Long yesterday, Mr Lau said the opening of the new route to Shenzhen could lead to serious traffic jams on the Tuen Mun Highway.
The bridge, which connects Deep Bay in the New Territories with the road network linking Shekou, would inevitably draw more traffic to the northwestern part of Hong Kong.
Mr Lau said if truck drivers chose to use the free Tuen Mun Highway instead of the toll-charging Route 3 to reach the Deep Bay Link, 'it will lead to serious traffic problems in Tuen Mun'.
Mr Lau, a member of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, also urged the government to get moving on legislation for the joint immigration facilities at the Shenzhen end.