Construction of the link road for the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge will generate dust and worsen air quality in Tuen Mun, rural Lantau and Tung Chung, according to the environmental-impact assessment.
During construction, annual concentrations of 'total suspended particulates' - which range from coarse dust particles to finer ones that can be breathed in - will exceed the Environmental Protection Department standards by about 30 per cent in seven non-residential parts of Tuen Mun, including a public park at Butterfly Beach and a fire station.
When the link road opens, Tung Chung town and village houses about 100 metres south of the road will see higher annual concentrations of fine respiratory particles that are close to the limit.
Highways Department consultant Ove Arup & Partners said nitrogen dioxide and respirable suspended particulates in all parts of the project would meet government standards and no mitigation measures would be needed.
But air pollution researcher Chan Chak-keung of the University of Science and Technology said there was some doubt whether this would mean the air quality would be acceptable in future, given that the government was planning to tighten standards.
