bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

A section of Keung Shan Road  on Lantau Island, closed for nearly two weeks after a storm and a landslide, will reopen for traffic today.
The opening of one lane of the two-lane road will also see the resumption of normal bus services between Tai O, Tung Chung, Mui Wo and Ngong Ping.
Extra ferry services between Tai O and Tung Chung will end on Sunday.
But the section of the road between Keung Shan and Tai O will be closed whenever the black or red rainstorm or landslip warning is issued.
Keung Shan Road has been closed since June 7, the day Tai O was hit hard by record-breaking rain.
A temporary lane has been in use for engineering, emergency and relief vehicles while repair work was being carried out.
Director of Highways Wai Chi-sing, who inspected the road yesterday,  said urgent repairs of the damaged section had been completed and one lane would be opened.
'It is still necessary to carry out works on safety barriers and other road facilities,' he said.
'The Highways Department will speed up the work in order to reopen the road for two-lane traffic as soon as possible.'
The Geotechnical Engineering Office  of the Civil Engineering and Development Department is still assessing the landslide risks of the natural slopes along Keung Shan Road and Tai O Road.
The Transport Department said special traffic arrangements would be made if the road had to be closed again.
Instead of praising the government for the  reopening of the damaged road, Tai O residents said  the administration was being  irresponsible.
'It seems that the government just opens the road to avoid losing face,' said Wong Wai-king, a Tai O resident and member of the Concern Group for Tai O Culture and Relics.
'The government said it would open the road in two weeks ... and so it does. Some residents already said they would not take the bus, as we know well that the road has been seriously damaged and it is not safe.'
Ms Wong also criticised the government for stopping all extra ferry services before the road could be fully opened.
'We do not mind waiting longer for the opening of the road. We just want to have a safe road that will not be closed whenever black or red rainstorms or landslip warnings are issued,' she said.
She also pointed out that the rainy season had just begun and questioned if the government could execute emergency measures in a short time if the road had to be closed again.
'Why can't the government just let ferry operators continue with extra services until the road can be fully opened no matter what warning is hoisted?' Ms Wong said.
Tai O residents will petition the Transport Department and request a meeting with the officials today to discuss their transport problems.



Road to Tai O opens partially  amid grumbles