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

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

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

Harminder Singh

A Hong Kong-based architect has unveiled his latest plan for an alternative method to cross Tai Tam Reservoir, notorious for chronic traffic problems due to the narrow road atop its dam.
Scott Myklebust, president of architectural firm M CO Design, revealed a proposal to build a bridge adjacent to Tai Tam Tuk Dam named Dragon’s Link II.
The dam now has two narrow lanes going opposite directions, and drivers must navigate with extreme caution if a wider and heavier vehicle such as a truck or double-decker bus needs to pass.
Watch: Tesla passing a double-decker bus on Hong Kong dam road


Bottlenecks occur regularly because of a very limited amount of space to manoeuvre.
“I’m a really avid cyclist and I’ve probably [ridden] over the dam a thousand times in the last eight years,” Myklebust said. “I see the [traffic] problems there and I see the natural beauty as well and I started to think ‘how could we solve this problem?’”
I started to think, ‘how could we solve this problem?’
Scott Myklebust, architect
A spokesman for the Transport Department said it was “seeking initial advice from relevant departments” about constructing the bridge.
This is the second version of Myklebust’s bridge concept. The first had the bridge’s road traffic going in one direction, while the dam would carry traffic going in the opposite direction.
But the latest version has all vehicular and bike traffic removed from the dam and put onto the bridge.
The dam would only be for pedestrians and have green features and amenities for tourists and residents to enjoy. Myklebust compared it with New York’s High Line, a 1.45-mile-long elevated linear park and green space.
The current roadway does not allow space for pedestrians or cyclists, although some try to go across despite the risk of being hit by a vehicle.

Stanley resident Maxine Yao Jie-ning claimed having the bridge “was very important” to help alleviate chronic traffic problems.
Flooding on the dam during typhoons caused the roadway to be closed, forcing residents to take Repulse Bay Road in the opposite direction, Yao said, and the detour could add up to two hours to a trip if one wanted to drive to Chai Wan or Shau Kei Wan in eastern Hong Kong Island.
The dam was built to relieve the city’s freshwater shortages. It will celebrate its 100th birthday next February.


“We have to think, ‘what do we do for the next hundred years?’. The dam is at a place where it’s carrying traffic that [the original engineers] never envisioned it to carry,” Myklebust said.
“There are now tonnes of people living on the south side of the island. A hundred years ago, the south side of the island would have been very sparsely populated.”
Myklebust’s proposal was shown to Transport Department representatives at a Southern District Council meeting on Tuesday.
Is Hong Kong’s giant bridge a road to nowhere or path to new opportunities?
While traffic issues may be resolved after the bridge is constructed, the structure could bring undesirable follow-up, according to Southern district councillor Paul Zimmerman.
Zimmerman, an environmental advocate, worried the bridge could “stimulate” more development on the south side of Hong Kong Island.
“If there are more roads it could mean more development, then there’s more traffic,” he said, while conceding that a solution was needed because the current traffic situation across the dam “was a real problem”.


Driver, passenger arrested after BMW hits 3 vehicles in Hong Kong

Man dies after being thrown from taxi in crash near Hong Kong airport

Hong Kong authorities repeal ‘flawed’ bus seat belt law

Swift action on traffic accident scams in Hong Kong to be commended

Traffic and road safety in Hong Kong

Dragon-like bridge proposed next to Hong Kong reservoir road to ease chronic traffic

The new bridge would be illuminated at night with energy-efficient lighting for safe driving. Photo: Scott Myklebust

A drone video footage showed a Tesla Model X driver attempting to squeeze between a double decker bus and a wall on the notoriously narrow dam road on a bridge at Tai Tam Reservoir. Photo: Facebook

Dragon-like bridge proposed next to Hong Kong reservoir road to ease chronic traffic

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Officials ‘seeking advice’ on plan meant to ease chronic traffic problems

Officials ‘seeking advice’ on plan meant to ease chronic traffic problems