Temporary lane closures and corresponding improvements on Nathan Road

The Transport Department (TD) will from April 2002 to the end of 2004 implement temporary partial lane closures on sections of Nathan Road as well as corresponding improvement schemes to facilitate three works projects by Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) and Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTRC).

The Senior Engineer of TD (East Rail Extension), Mr William Chung Goon-hung said in a press briefing today (April 24) that the temporary lane closures on Nathan Road were necessary for KCRC and MTRC to carry out the following three projects:

	the construction of the proposed Middle Road subway connecting the future KCRC East Tsim Sha Tsui Station and the area west of Nathan Road fronting the Kowloon Hotel;
	the Tsim Sha Tsui MTR Station Southern Concourse modification and extension works; and
	the construction of the proposed Nathan Road Subway connecting the Middle Road Subway to the extended Tsim Sha Tsui MTR Station Southern Concourse.

"Upon completion, the subway link will not only facilitate easy transfer between the two railway systems, but also relieve pavement congestion at Tsim Sha Tsui.

"At the same time, passengers will benefit from the enhanced entrance facilities in the vicinity of Humphreys Avenue when they use the MTR services," Mr Chung said.

The temporary traffic management schemes at sections of Nathan Road involved are:

KCRC's two-lane closure scheme at junction of Middle Road

KCRC will close two lanes (i.e. one northbound (N/B) lane and one southbound (S/B) lane) on Nathan Road at its junction with Middle Road for the construction of Middle Road Subway across Nathan Road; in effect, two lanes on both bounds will be maintained. The works will be carried out by stages starting from April 26 and will last for about nine months.

MTRC's three-lane closure scheme between junctions with Middle Road and Peking Road

MTRC will need to close three lanes (i.e. two N/B lanes and one S/B lane) on Nathan Road between its junctions with Peking Road and Middle Road for construction of the main structures of the Nathan Road Subway and concourse modification/extension works stage by stage; in effect, one N/B lane and two S/B lanes will be maintained. The full scheme will be implemented from August 2002 to end-2004. MTRC will commence their preparatory works in May 2002 ahead of the full scheme.

MTRC's two-lane closure scheme between junctions with Haiphong Road and Cameron Road

MTRC will need to close two lanes (one N/B lane and one S/B lane) on Nathan Road between its junctions with Haiphong Road and Cameron Road for their station enhancement works; in effect, two lanes on both bounds will be maintained. The works will be carried out from mid-2002 to mid-2004.

Mr Chung said: "As a result of the above temporary lane closures, several road junctions will be overloaded if nothing is done."

"To address the situation, two improvement schemes will be implemented to cater for the traffic conditions," he added.

The improvement schemes include:

Salisbury Road Widening

It involves widening of Salisbury Road west of Nathan Road with associated junction improvements at junctions of Nathan Road/Salisbury Road and Kowloon Park Drive/Salisbury Road. The works are being carried out by Highways Department and are targeted for completion before the MTRC's three-lane closure scheme is implemented in August 2002.

Peking Road Gyratory System

To improve the traffic condition at the junction of Nathan Road/Peking Road and facilitate the traffic flow along Nathan Road when MTRC starts their three-lane closure scheme in August 2002, the right turn from Nathan Road S/B onto Peking Road westbound (W/B) has to be banned. At the same time, the authorities will implement the Peking Road Gyratory Scheme, in which the Nathan Road S/B traffic heading Hankow Road area has to route through Salisbury Road W/B, Kowloon Park Drive N/B and Peking Road eastbound.

Mr Chung said TD would closely monitor traffic situations to keep them within an acceptable level. He also encouraged the public to use public transport to the area.

Members of the public can dial the Citizen's Easy Link 1823 for enquiries.

End/Wednesday, April 24, 2002