Source:
https://scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3204503/traffic-zips-along-new-hong-kong-bridge-what-happens-after-holidays
Hong Kong/ Hong Kong economy

Traffic zips along new Hong Kong bridge, but what happens after holidays?

  • Kowloon residents say Cross Bay Link and Tseung Kwan O-Lam Tin Tunnel will be tested when schools resume classes and more buses use links
  • New routes are sending cars to mouth of Eastern Harbour Tunnel, where congestion already severe, says Francis Fong of Hong Kong Information Technology Federation
The Cross Bay Link and the Tseung Kwan O-Lam Tin Tunnel opened on December 11. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Hong Kong’s first vehicle-cyclist-pedestrian bridge has operated smoothly since it opened two weeks ago, soothing concerns it might worsen traffic bottlenecks in East Kowloon and at the Eastern Harbour Tunnel, authorities have said.

But area residents said the performance of the Cross Bay Link and the Tseung Kwan O-Lam Tin Tunnel would face a major test when schools reopened after the Christmas and New Year holidays and bus operators started to adopt the new route.

“The overall traffic conditions after the road opening of the Tseung Kwan O-Lam Tin Tunnel and Cross Bay Link are mostly smooth,” the Transport Department said.

“Commuters by private cars and goods vehicles could experience the shortening of journey times by using either the Tseung Kwan O-Lam Tin Tunnel or Tseung Kwan O Tunnel to and from Kowloon and Hong Kong East.”

Heavy traffic near the roundabout on Cha Kwo Ling Road and the Kowloon side entrance of the Eastern Harbour Tunnel. Photo: Elson Li
Heavy traffic near the roundabout on Cha Kwo Ling Road and the Kowloon side entrance of the Eastern Harbour Tunnel. Photo: Elson Li

The Cross Bay Link and the Tseung Kwan O-Lam Tin Tunnel, which opened on December 11, are the government’s latest effort to connect the Lohas Park residential area and the Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate with Kwun Tong, as well as the Eastern district of Hong Kong Island, through the Eastern Harbour Tunnel.

Lohas Park is the largest residential development project in Tseung Kwan O and is said to house more than 80,000 people.

But drivers in the past could only travel outside the area by the Tseung Kwan O Tunnel, Po Lam Road and Clear Water Bay Road.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu earlier this month said travel time from Lohas Park to downtown Kwun Tong could be cut by up to 20 minutes at peak hours.

But lawmaker Stanley Li Sai-wing, who represents the area, said the Legislative Council’s panel on transport had discussed concerns over how the new routes might worsen the area’s traffic congestion.

“There may be a bottleneck as cars turn into the Tseung Kwan O-Lam Tin Tunnel from Cha Kwo Ling Road because there is a roundabout,” he said. “We were also worried traffic might be worsened when bus companies adopt the new route.”

The honorary president of the Hong Kong Information Technology Federation, Francis Fong Po-kiu, has been a Tseung Kwan O resident for more than 18 years.

He said the new route appeared trouble-free, but was concerned that it could aggravate the congestion problem in the Eastern Harbour Tunnel and the Kwun Tong business areas.

“The Cross Bay Link and the new tunnel are directly sending cars to the mouth of the Eastern Harbour Tunnel, where the congestion problem is already severe,” he said. “We also don’t know how the traffic will be after school bus services resume after Christmas and Lunar New Year.”

But the Transport Department said there was no evidence that the new routes had caused problems at the Eastern Harbour Tunnel.

“There is no noticeable sign showing that the traffic conditions of the Eastern Harbour Tunnel are worsened after the commissioning of the Tseung Kwan O-Lam Tin Tunnel and the Cross Bay Link,” a spokesman said.

The journey time between Tseung Kwan O and Hong Kong East had benefited from the new branch tunnel, the department added.

The Cross Bay Link is the first bridge in Hong Kong to have a roadway, a pedestrian path and bicycle lanes.

The bridge’s design won a Construction Industry Council accolade in this year’s construction innovation awards and was the gold winner in last year’s construction digitalisation awards.