2.1.
The present road improvement project
(hereafter referred to as the “Project”) is for upgrading the remaining section
of Castle Peak Road (CPR) between Ka Loon Tsuen and Siu Lam from a single
carriageway road to dual-2 lane standard, including necessary upgrading of Siu
Lam Interchange. The alignment of the
improved road will largely follow the existing Castle Peak Road except the
section between Tai Lam Kok and Siu Lam.
2.2.
The scope of works for the proposed
widening of Castle Peak Road project includes the following:
(a)
widening of about 1.1 km of Castle Peak Road from Ka Loon
Tsuen to Tai Lam Kok to dual-2 lane carriageway
(b)
construction of a new dual 2-lane viaduct, of approximately
0.8 km, from Siu Lam to Tai Lam Kok
(c)
provision of 3 m wide footpath on both sides of Castle Peak
Road and a lay-by for the maintenance vehicles of the Marine Department at the
eastern end of the Project boundary
(d)
reprovision of existing legal run-ins and appropriate
modifications to junctions affected by this road improvement scheme
(e)
construction of sea wall from Ka Loon Tsuen to Tai Lam Kok
(f)
reclamation work at Tai Lam Kok
(g)
reconstruction of the existing Castle Peak Road from Tai Lam
Kok to Siu Lam
(h)
associated slope works, road and drainage works, traffic aids,
street furniture and street lighting, utilities works, environmental mitigation
measures, landscaping and other ancillary works.
2.3.
Figure 2.1 illustrates the layout plan
of the proposed CPR. According to the
preliminary construction programme, the construction of the Project is
scheduled to commence in June 2003 for completion in June 2007. Since at this
early stage of the project there are uncertainties over the way that individual
contractors will programme elements of the work, the programme has adopted a
worst case scenario and assumes that certain activities will be carried out
concurrently. Assessed impacts are
therefore always conservative.