2 PROJECT DESCRIPTION.. 5

2.1 Site Location. 5

2.2 EIA Study Area. 6

2.3 Project Requirements, Scope and Benefits. 6

2.4 Consideration of Alternatives and Development of Preferred Option. 9

2.5 Construction Methods and Engineering Requirements. 11

2.6 Operation of the Project 12

2.7 Works Programme. 12

2.8 Related Projects. 14

2 PROJECT DESCRIPTION

2.1 Site Location

2.1.1 The reclamation works (including the dredging works) sites are located along the Wan Chai, Causeway Bay and North Point shorelines. The location of reclamation is shown in Figure 1.2c

2.2 EIA Study Area

2.2.1 The following definitions of the study areas have been adopted with reference to the EIA Study Brief registered under the EIAO:

· Air Quality Impact: the assessment area should include the area within 500 m from the boundary of the Project;

· Noise Impact Assessment: the assessment area should include the area within 300 m from the boundary of the Project;

· Water Quality Impact Assessment: the assessment area should include the areas within and 300m extended beyond the boundary of the Project, plus the Victoria Harbour Water Control Zone (WCZ), the Eastern Buffer WCZ and the Western Buffer WCZ as declared under the Water Pollution Control Ordinance;

· Waste Management: the assessment will focus on areas within the boundary of the Project;

· Land Contamination: the assessment area for land contamination impact will include any potentially contaminated sites identified in this EIA;

· Landscape and Visual Impact: the area for landscape impact assessment should include all areas within 100 m extended from the boundary of the Project, while the assessment area for the visual impact assessment should be defined by the visual envelope from the Project and associated works;

· Marine Ecology: the assessment for marine ecological impact will focus on the area within the Project boundary; and

· Cultural Heritage Impact: the assessment for cultural heritage impact will focus on the area within the Project boundary.

2.3 Project Requirements, Scope and Benefits

Project Scope and Requirements

2.3.1 The reclamation works including associated dredging works (DP3) is driven by the need for the implementation of the Trunk Road, which will form an east-west strategic route through Central and Wan Chai to existing IEC. Construction of this Trunk Road will, though, require permanent reclamation in the areas to the west of HKCEC, through the HKCEC water channel, along the Wan Chai shoreline and along the North Point shoreline. Permanent reclamation is not required in the ex-Public Cargo working Area (PCWA) basin or in the CBTS.

2.3.2 During the Trunk Road construction, temporary reclamation will be required in the ex-PCWA basin and the CBTS to facilitate cut-and-cover tunnel construction of the Trunk Road. After construction of the Trunk Road, the temporary reclamation will be removed and the ex-PCWA basin and the CBTS will be reinstated.

2.3.3 The reclamation can create a coherent pattern of land use and provide for the development of an appropriate waterfront ‘edge’ to the existing urban area. The reclamation will therefore consider imaginative measures to develop a high quality waterfront for the enjoyment of the public and tourists.

2.3.4 The total volume of sediments to be dredged and disposed is estimated to be approximately
1.15 Mm³.

2.3.5 The minimum area of permanent reclamation required is summarised as follows:

(i) HKCEC West: 3.7 ha

(ii) HKCEC Water Channel: 1.6 ha

(iii) Wan Chai Shoreline: 4.1 ha

(iv) North Point Shoreline: 3.3 ha

2.3.6 The total reclamation area is 12.7 ha.

2.3.7 For the mitigation of odour, dredging to remove the polluted sediments at the south-west corner of the CBTS will be carried out in conjunction with the dredging for the Trunk Road reclamation.

Project Benefits

2.3.8 The reclamation provides essential land for the construction of key transport infrastructure including the Trunk Road and the NIL and SCL. The road and rail routes are required to relieve congestion on the strategic east-west routes through Central, Wan Chai and Causeway Bay and on the public transport system, and their implementation is a core element of Government's transport planning strategy.

2.3.9 The land formed also provides opportunity to create an attractive waterfront for the enjoyment of the public. At present, large parts of the Wan Chai, Causeway Bay and North Point waterfront are inaccessible to the public or are difficult to access. The land formed through this Project will be used to regenerate the waterfront into an attractive public resource that could be used for a wide range of recreational and tourism-related uses and functions, with easy access from the urban hinterland. In so doing, the waterfront will become, as it should, an integral element of the public asset currently provided by the harbour.

2.3.10 The project also provides opportunity to enhance the existing odour at the south-west corner of the CBTS by removal of the polluted sediments which will be carried out in conjunction with the dredging for the Trunk Road reclamation.

Consequences of Not Proceeding with the Project

(i) Not able to meet the need for the Trunk Road

2.3.11 The need to provide a strategic trunk road along the northern shore of Hong Kong Island has long been identified. The Trunk Road is the missing link required to complete this strategic route. The Trunk Road is needed to divert through traffic away from the Central Business District and from the existing east-west traffic corridor of Connaught Road Central – Harcourt Road – Gloucester Road. It is also needed to cater for the anticipated natural growth of traffic and to alleviate the already existing congestion on the road networks. Without the Trunk Road, there will not be sufficient capacity to serve the heavy demands at both the strategic and local levels.

2.3.12 The existing east-west corridor (Connaught Road Central – Harcourt Road – Gloucester Road) serving the CBD on Hong Kong Island is already operating beyond its capacity, as can be observed on site. Previous and recent strategic transport studies have predicted further increase in traffic demand along the east-west corridor, and confirmed the need for a parallel east-west Trunk Road to avoid more extensive and frequent traffic congestion, and even gridlock, on the road network.

2.3.13 A district traffic study has confirmed that a dual 3-lane Trunk Road (or Central-Wan Chai Bypass), together with intermediate slip roads, is required to divert traffic away from the existing east-west corridor and to provide adequate relief to the corridor and the local road network.

2.3.14 Traffic management and fiscal measures are already in place to maximise the capacity of the existing road network and suppress traffic demand. Further measures including ERP have also been considered. However, all these existing and proposed measures, alone, cannot resolve the traffic congestion problem along the east-west corridor. In other words, the Trunk Road is essential, and ERP can complement the Trunk Road but cannot replace it.

2.3.15 The need for the Trunk Road has also been confirmed by the Expert Panel on Sustainable Transport Planning and Central-Wan Chai Bypass, comprising leading independent local and overseas transport planning experts. The Expert Panel supports the construction of the CWB to improve the reliability of the road network and to enhance multi-modal public transportation in the Connaught Road Central – Harcourt Road – Gloucester Road corridor. The Expert Panel agrees that the inability of the present infrastructure capacity to cope with the present and future travel demand would persist even if development in the Central reclamation area were stopped and territory-wide car ownership held unchanged from now until 2016, and therefore recommends the construction of the Trunk Road as a medium term solution to tackle the problem of deteriorating traffic congestion in the Central and Wan Chai area. The Expert Panel further supports the provision of the planned slip roads at the HKCEC area and at the Victoria Park Road / Gloucester Road / Hing Fat Street passageway, to magnify the benefits of the CWB. The Expert Panel also recognises the need for Road P2 both in the longer term and as an important ad interim measure in addressing traffic congestion in the Central reclamation area even before the CWB is implemented.

(ii) NIL and SCL

2.3.16 Land formed under the Project, in addition to providing for the construction of the Trunk Road, also provides for the construction of the NIL and the SCL. Should the Project not proceed, implementation of these rail routes will be severely constrained. This will have consequential adverse impacts on the planning and provision of public transport infrastructure.

(iii) No improvement of the waterfront

2.3.17 Should the Trunk Road not be implemented the requirement for land formation will fall away and opportunities to improve the existing waterfront would be limited. The following scenarios are likely:

· no new land will be available to upgrade and improve the waterfront;

· it will be difficult to realise the Town Planning Board's objectives stipulated in the Vision and Goals for Victoria Harbour to make the harbour attractive, vibrant, accessible and symbolic of Hong Kong;

· it will also be difficult to achieve the harbour-planning principles established by the HEC, including, amongst others, sustainable development, proactive harbour enhancement, vibrant harbour, accessible harbour and public enjoyment.

2.4 Consideration of Alternatives and Development of Preferred Option

Introduction

2.4.1 Having established the need for the Trunk Road, any reasonable alternative to reclamation that may meet this overriding need must be determined. In other words, can an alternative alignment or form of construction for the Trunk Road be adopted that will obviate the need for reclamation? If there is a feasible “no reclamation” option, then it should be pursued. Only if the need for reclamation can be demonstrated to be necessary will scenarios involving minimum reclamation be contemplated.

2.4.2 A detailed examination of Trunk Road needs and constraints, including an exhaustive investigation into the need for reclamation for the Trunk Road construction and of alternative schemes that might do away with reclamation or, at least, minimise reclamation, has been carried out. A “Report on Trunk Road Alignments and Harbour-front Enhancement, April 2006” was submitted to the HEC Sub-committee on WDII Review, which set out the findings of these investigations and the conclusions regarding the need for reclamation and the minimum extent of reclamation. A copy of the report is given in Annex G of the CCM Report which can be viewed at the website: http://www.harbourfront.org.hk/eng/content_page/reportTRA.html?s=1.

Alternative Reclamation Options and Shoreline Configurations

2.4.3 The size of reclamation, and the corresponding shoreline configuration, is determined based on the minimum extent of reclamation that is needed to meet the essential engineering requirements for the construction of the Trunk Road. It is the minimum reclamation required to meet the overriding need for the Trunk Road. A step by step approach is taken to ensure the reclamation is the minimum extent required. The first step is to confirm that there is an overriding and present need for the Trunk Road. The next step is to identify any “no-reclamation options”. If there is no reasonable alternative to reclamation, the third step is to ensure that the reclamation is restricted to only the minimum amount necessary to meet the overriding public need.

2.4.4 The compelling and present need for the Trunk Road has been confirmed and reference can be made to the CCM Report. The need for the Trunk Road is explained in Section 2 of the CCM Report and also mentioned in paragraphs 2.4.10 to 2.4.17 of Volume 1 of this EIA Report. The Trunk Road is the “missing link” in the strategic road network of Hong Kong and will provide the essential east-west linkage between Rumsey Street Flyover in Central and the IEC in Causeway Bay. The implementation of the Trunk Road will relieve the existing congested east-west corridor of Hong Kong Island North. The need for the Trunk Road has been clearly established through traffic and transport studies. The Expert Panel has confirmed the need for the Trunk Road and intermediate slip roads. The Expert Panel considers that the Trunk Road is essential for improving the reliability of the road network. The findings of the traffic and transport studies, and of the Expert Panel, demonstrate conclusively the compelling and present need for the Trunk Road.

2.4.5 The “no-reclamation” options are given in Section 3 of CCM Report. All possible alignments for the Trunk Road, including suggestions from the public, have been examined, taking into account land use and infrastructural constraints, with a view to determining if there are any that do not require any reclamation for the Trunk Road construction. It is found that the feasible Trunk Road routeing is along the foreshore of Wan Chai and Causeway Bay. However, foreshore alignments do require reclamation for Trunk Road tunnel construction at the western end of WDII where the Trunk Road tunnel crosses over the MTR Tsuen Wan Line, and at the eastern end of WDII where the Trunk Road tunnel must rise to ground level for the connection with the elevated IEC, at least. There is no feasible “no-reclamation” alignment for the Trunk Road, and at least some reclamation will be required for the Trunk Road construction.

2.4.6 The “Report on Trunk Road Alignments and Harbour-front Enhancement, April 2006” sets out the findings of the investigations on the alternative schemes of the Trunk Road and the conclusions regarding the need for reclamation and the minimum extent of reclamation. Reference is made to Annex G of the CCM Report which can be viewed at the website: http://www.harbourfront.org.hk/eng/content_page/reportTRA.html?s=1. As given in the paragraphs 2.5.1 to 2.5.41 of Volume 1 of this EIA Report, the preferred Trunk Road option, Trunk Road Tunnel Variation 1, has been derived with a detailed examination of Trunk Road needs and constraints, including an exhaustive investigation into the need for reclamation for the Trunk Road construction and of alternative schemes that might do away with reclamation or, at least, minimise reclamation. Trunk Road Tunnel Variation 1 affects the minimum area of the Harbour and serves best to protect and preserve the Harbour, among all the options that have been assessed. This option has clearly expressed support as the preferred Trunk Road scheme, following extensive consultations with various public, advisory and relevant statutory bodies.

2.4.7 Details of the extent of reclamation, in respect of the engineering requirements for the construction of the Trunk Road tunnel, reclamation and seawalls, are presented in a “Minimum Reclamation Report”, a copy of which is appended at Annex O of the CCM Report which can be viewed at the web site: http://www.devb.gov.hk/reclamation/filemanager/en/content_19/annexO_e.pdf. Detailed examination of the engineering requirements in respect of highway geometric design and construction of the Trunk Road tunnel, reclamation and seawalls, and reprovisioning requirements, has been carried out to accurately determine the minimum extent of reclamation. In total, an area of 12.7ha of reclamation (in addition to an area of 0.4ha of affected water area by flyover structures) is needed to meet essential engineering requirements for construction of the Trunk Road. This is the minimum reclamation required to meet the overriding public need for the Trunk Road.

2.4.8 With the size of reclamation being minimised to the minimum extent to meet the overriding need for the Trunk Road, the affected area of the harbour, the foreshore and seabed is minimised, and the corresponding environmental impacts, such as marine ecological and cultural heritage impacts, on the foreshore and seabed are also minimised. Details of the marine ecology and cultural heritage impact assessment for the proposed scheme shall refer to the respective sections in this WDII&CWB EIA Report.

2.4.9 As presented in the “Minimum Reclamation Report”, as appended at Annex O of the CCM Report, the shoreline (ie the seawall copeline) is set at the minimum separation from the Trunk Road tunnel and it follows the curvature of the Trunk Road tunnel edge. Smooth curves have been adopted at indented areas rather than sharp corners along the shoreline, and a curved splay in the seawall is incorporated at the corner with Expo Drive East, where there is a drainage culvert. This smoothing of the shoreline will enhance flows and prevent accumulation of pollutants or floating refuse.

2.5 Construction Methods and Engineering Requirements

2.5.1 A number of existing waterfront facilities (ferry piers, drainage culverts, cooling water intakes, sewage outfall, etc.) will be affected by the WDII reclamation. Although these facilities will be reprovisioned under the Project, they should be kept functional and operational during reclamation until the reprovisioned facilities are constructed and available for use. There is therefore a requirement for reclamation to be carried out in stages, with careful planning of construction sequence for both the reclamation and reprovisioning works.

2.5.2 The resultant reclamation staging creates a number of relatively small and confined areas of land formation. Containment of fill within each of these areas by seawalls is proposed, with the seawalls constructed first and filling being carried out behind the seawalls. This method will allow the land area formed in each stage to be maximised and also has significant benefits in terms of water quality; by containing all filling behind seawalls, the release of suspended sediments during the filling operations will not impact the open water areas of the harbour.

2.5.3 Seawall construction will, in general, comprise wave energy absorbing caisson seawall units, where exposed to harbour waves, constructed on dredged foundations for stability reasons. These caisson seawall units will be in the form of precast caisson units. In lieu of casting the precast units at the works site, off-site precast yard in mainland for casting of these precast units and transportation to the seawall construction site by sea will be the common alternative adopted for precast works.

2.5.4 Dredging of marine mud is required for the foundations of the seawalls, culverts, at-grade roads, and associated with the construction of the CWB tunnel. The minimum extent of dredging required for foundations of the seawalls, roads and drainage culverts, and for practical engineering and construction reasons due mainly to the narrow configuration of the reclamation, effectively results in a fully dredged approach over the length of the site. Figure 2.6 indicates the proposed extent of dredging for the WDII project.

2.5.5 The use of marine sand fill is proposed, with fill placed behind the enclosing seawalls of each reclamation stage. The use of marine sand fill will enable the formed land to comply with required engineering and settlement performance criteria, with the fill placed within a very tight programme in order to meet critical project completion dates. Transportation of marine sand fill will mainly by barges to achieve the filling rate to meet the construction programme.

2.5.6 While marine sand is proposed to be used generally for filling, detailed investigations have been conducted to explore the possibility of using public fill and surplus rock fill from appropriate sources that may be identified during the detailed implementation stages of the project, where engineering, programme and implementation constraints permit. The investigations indicate that it is possible to use public fill from Penny’s Bay Reclamation Stage 2 (PBR2) in the upper formation layers, above +2.5 mPD. For the temporary reclamation where settlement is not a major concern, public fill from PBR2 for the full depth of reclamation is proposed, to maximise the use of public fill materials. Transportation of public fill from PBR2 to the works site will mainly by barges as both the supply and demand locations are at their respective shorelines. Delivery of reused construction and demolition materials within the site and/or surplus materials to the public fill reception facilities will be by barges for large quantities and by truck for local and small quantities.

2.5.7 The reprovisioned Wan Chai East ferry pier will be a piled structure, similar to the existing pier structure. Some concrete members or panels of the ferry pier structure may be in the form of precast units. Similar to the precast caisson units, besides casting the precast units at the works site, off-site precast yard in Mainland for casting of these precast units and transportation to the seawall construction site by sea will be the common alternative adopted for precast works.

2.6 Operation of the Project

2.6.1 Operational activities, on completion of the DP3, would comprise essentially traffic movements on the new roads and public use of the waterfront. Other than the new waterfront leisure uses, there are no major changes of land uses which will result in new operations not already taking place along this shoreline.

2.7 Works Programme

2.7.1 The reclamation and associated works are anticipated to commence on site in early 2009, with completion of the project by 2016. A construction programme is presented in Appendix 2.5 for reference.

2.7.2 As noted in Section 2.5 above, construction needs to be carried out in stages in order to meet the services and utilities reprovisioning requirements and construction sequencing constraints. A staged construction programme, with works in each area being carried out sequentially has been developed to meet the objectives of the Project. The staging of the reclamation works, with respect to the above issues and constraints, is shown indicatively in Figures 2.7 to 2.19. A brief description of the proposed works, with reference to the staging requirements, is given in the following paragraphs.

Implementation Staging

2.7.3 The construction works can be considered in terms of three mains works areas being, from east to west, the North Point and Causeway Bay Reclamation, the Wan Chai Reclamation and the HKCEC Reclamation.

North Point & Causeway Bay Reclamation

2.7.4 The reclamation at North Point will be in a two stages. The central area of reclamation will commence first to provide land for temporary reprovisioning of the FEHD Depot while the new Depot is under construction. The reclamation on either side will follow subsequently but the construction of the Trunk Road tunnel structure, which is partly on existing land, will commence after the temporary relocation of the existing FEHD Depot. The land formation at the eastern end of this reclamation area will be handed over for the construction of the tunnel approach ramp and connecting to the existing IEC.

2.7.5 The temporary reclamation in the typhoon shelter is divided into four stages to avoid creating an embayed water area with a pond of stagnant water between the temporary reclamation and the existing seawall during construction, and to allow the reuse of filling and surcharge materials between reclamation stages.

2.7.6 Works for the North Point & Causeway Bay Reclamation will commence in early 2009. The permanent land formation at North Point will be completed by late 2010 for handing over of works area for construction of tunnel approach ramps. The Trunk Road tunnel structure will be completed by early 2015 for tunnel installations and fitting out. Operational completion of the Trunk Road will be in 2016.

Wan Chai Reclamation

2.7.7 Four stages have been proposed for Wan Chai Reclamation, in addition to the temporary reclamation of the ex-PCWA basin. The first stage is constructed between the existing Wan Chai East sewage outfall and the existing seawater intakes for WSD and Sun Hung Kai. This land needs to be formed in advance to allow the diversions of the sewage outfall and seawater intake pipelines.

2.7.8 The following stages, on either side of this advance reclamation area, are constructed subsequent to the diversion of the sewage outfall and the seawater intakes. The construction sequencing of these stages also makes provision for the drainage outfalls from Marsh Road and Canal Road and caters for the temporary relocation of the Wan Chai to Hung Hom ferry services to temporary berthing facilities.

2.7.9 Works in this area also commence in early 2009, with land formation being completed by mid 2013 and the Trunk Road tunnel structure completed by mid 2014 for tunnel installations and fitting out. Operational completion of the Trunk Road will be in 2016.

HKCEC Reclamation

2.7.10 Reclamation in this area takes place after diversion of the existing cooling water intakes to the intake chambers already provided on the north side of the HKCEC. Reclamation on either side of the MTR Tsuen Wan line will follow the bored pile wall construction on either side for the Trunk Road crossing over the MTR line. Reclamation of the HKCEC water channel takes place before adjacent reclamation to either the east or west of the HKCEC Extension so as to avoid embayment of this confined water area.

2.7.11 Reclamation in this area would commence in early 2009 and would be completed by mid 2012. The Trunk Road tunnel works would be completed by early 2014 for tunnel installations and fitting out. Operational completion of the Trunk Road will be in 2016.

2.8 Related Projects

2.8.1 The following projects are related to the DP3:

(i) Civil Engineering and Development Department's CRIII project, comprising reclamation along the Central waterfront for transport infrastructure needs (including CWB and NIL) and basic land use requirements. A section of CWB tunnel will also be constructed under CRIII project. Construction will take place from February 2003 to September 2012.

(ii) Trade Development Council’s Atrium Link Extension project, comprising a link bridge spanning across the water channel between the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) Phase I and HKCEC Extension. Construction will take place from May 2006 to March 2009.