I REFER to Mr J Lee's letter (South China Morning Post, August 24) headlined 'Black-Spots'.
The progress on the Pokfulam Road reconstruction works has been seriously affected by inclement weather. The section between Mount Davis Road and Sassoon Road has been fully completed, and works will now be concentrated in the remaining southern section. Utility works have to be allowed to avoid piecemeal road-opening in the future and are coordinated to minimise inconvenience to the public.
The Western Harbour Crossing has been under construction for 12 months. Public access has been maintained through the site for users on the Western Reclamation. This resulted in soil and construction materials being carried on to the roads.
The contractor has been urged to clean the roads and reduce dust arising in the Connaught Road corridor, but this has proved difficult to achieve. Access through the site has recently been reduced and, with fewer site vehicle movements, the amount of materials carried on to Connaught Road West has decreased. Improvements have been observed over the last few weeks, and the situation is being closely monitored.
The roadworks at Pokfulam Road fronting Western Magistracy are part of a scheme for improving traffic conditions in Western District. Due to the heavy traffic and the limited road space at the Second Street junction, the road was operated temporarily on a one-lane two-way basis. Work commenced in mid-July with the junction completed at the end of August as scheduled. The north-bound lane of Pokfulam Road has been re-opened to traffic.
Road openings are co-ordinated through regular meetings of the Road Opening Coordinating Committee, which comprises representatives from utility undertakers, the Transport Department, the police and the Highways Department. Ad-hoc meetings at working level are held between the concerned parties before and during the execution of the works to facilitate close and detailed liaison.