Island Eastern Corridor | |
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Part of Route 4 | |
Route information | |
Maintained by Highways Department | |
History | 1984 (Phase I) 1985 (Phase II) 1989 (Phase III) |
Major junctions | |
East end | Chai Wan |
West end | Causeway Bay, Central-Wan Chai Bypass |
Location | |
Country | China |
Special administrative region | Hong Kong |
Districts | Eastern, Wan Chai |
Highway system | |
Island Eastern Corridor | |||||||||||
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Traditional Chinese | 東區走廊 | ||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 东区走廊 | ||||||||||
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The Island Eastern Corridor (IEC) is an expressway built along the northeastern shore of Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It starts from Causeway Bay in the west and ends in Chai Wan in the east. It is mostly part of Route 4. The section between Causeway Bay and Quarry Bay consists mainly of viaducts built along Victoria Harbour.
After World War II,the Eastern District of Hong Kong Island developed rapidly. As a result,the major thoroughfare in the area,King's Road,became very congested. [1]
To relieve the issue of congestion,the idea of constructing an elevated vehicular corridor in the Eastern District was brought out in 1968,as part of the Hong Kong Long Term Road Study. The original plan was to construct an elevated dual carriageway above King's Road,which continues eastward as a ground-level road along the coastline between Sai Wan Ho and Chai Wan. [2] Such alignment along King's Road was later discarded in favour of a waterfront viaduct running parallel to King's Road instead. It was not until 8 April 1981,20 May 1982 and 5 August 1986 that construction commenced on the three sections of the corridor,respectively. [3] The corridor was opened in three phases:Causeway Bay to Taikoo Shing on 8 June 1984;Taikoo Shing to Shau Kei Wan on 26 July 1985;and Shau Kei Wan to Chai Wan on 12 October 1989. [1]
Work has been done to the expressway several times over its life,including the bridge diversions at Quarry Bay,completed in 2003,where Route 4 joins with Route 2. There is also a proposed extension of the Corridor into the hills of Chai Wan and Siu Sai Wan. The section of viaduct near City Garden has also been rebuilt and expanded so that it could become the eastern terminus of the Central–Wan Chai Bypass. [4]
In 2008,the Island Eastern Corridor became the new venue of the Hong Kong Marathon 10km race,held on 17 February 2008. The race track started from City Garden in North Point,and ran eastwards until Shau Kei Wan,where it made a U-turn,back along westbound IEC and ended at Victoria Park,near the western terminus of the IEC. The noise problem caused by the IEC's design became evident as residents complained about noises as high as 60 dB emitting at about five to six o'clock in the morning. [5] [6]
In February 2008,the Government announced that it will construct a waterfront promenade between Causeway Bay and Sai Wan Ho,with significant sections at North Point running under Island Eastern Corridor,using floating boards. However,the Government is concerned about the plan violating the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance,since the boards may need to extend seabound due to the lack of space. Further study will take place regarding the feasibility of the project. When it is finished,a continuous promenade will be formed between Central and Sai Wan Ho,together with recreational land use projects related to the Central–Wan Chai Bypass. [7]
The corridor starts at Causeway Bay as a viaduct,where it joins Victoria Park Road and Gloucester Road with a ramp. It then heads east along the coast of North Point,still a viaduct until it comes to Quarry Bay where it descends onto ground level,and interchanges with the approach road of Eastern Harbour Crossing. After passing Taikoo Shing,the corridor becomes a viaduct again,now crossing between Sai Wan Ho and Aldrich Bay,making a broad curve toward the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence,where it returns to ground level and runs past A Kung Ngam and Heng Fa Chuen all the way towards Chai Wan. It ends near Chai Wan Park,at a large roundabout with Chai Wan Road and Wan Tsui Road in Chai Wan,just next to MTR Chai Wan station.
The full length of the corridor,save for a small section in Chai Wan between its eastern terminus and Wing Tai Road,is a statutorily-designated expressway (under section 123(1) of the Road Traffic Ordinance,Cap. 374,Laws of Hong Kong). [8] Speed limit for the expressway portion of IEC is 70 km/h.
It is often criticised for using up the seafront which could have been enjoyed by residents of Hong Kong had alternative alignments been chosen. Residents have also complained about traffic noises owing to some sections' proximity to residential buildings,and it could be advised that there would have to be sound barriers installed along this section. It has been suggested that the Watson Road –Tin Chiu Street section of the corridor be replaced with a tunnel,but was never considered due to the complex nature of the necessary works. [9]
The Eastern District located on northeastern part of Hong Kong Island,being one of the 18 administrative districts of Hong Kong. It had a population of 529,603 in 2021 The district has the second highest population while its residents have the third highest median household income among the 18 districts.
Hong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of Hong Kong. The island,known originally and on road signs simply as "Hong Kong",had a population of 1,289,500 and a population density of 16,390 per square kilometre (42,400/sq mi),as of 2023. It is the second largest island in Hong Kong,with the largest being Lantau Island. Hong Kong Island forms one of the three areas of Hong Kong,with the other two being Kowloon and the New Territories.
Chai Wan,formerly known as Sai Wan (西灣),lies at the east end of the urban area of Hong Kong Island next to Shau Kei Wan. The area is administratively part of the Eastern District,and is a mosaic of industrial and residential areas. The population was 186,505 in 2001.
Hong Kong Tramways (HKT) is a 3 ft 6 in narrow-gauge tram system in Hong Kong. Owned and operated by RATP Dev,the tramway runs on Hong Kong Island between Kennedy Town and Shau Kei Wan,with a branch circulating through Happy Valley.
The Island line is one of ten lines of the MTR,the mass transit system in Hong Kong. It runs from Kennedy Town in the Western district to Chai Wan in the Eastern District on Hong Kong Island,passing through the territory's major business districts of Central,Wan Chai and Causeway Bay,and connecting them with built-up areas on the north shore of the island.
Shau Kei Wan or Shaukiwan is a neighborhood in the Eastern District of Hong Kong Island. The area is bordered by Chai Wan to the east,Mount Parker to the south,Sai Wan Ho to the west,and Victoria Harbour to the north.
Kornhill and Kornhill Gardens are apartment buildings on the northern slope of Mount Parker,in Quarry Bay,Hong Kong Island,Hong Kong. Kornhill is a private housing estate and Kornhill Gardens is a Private Sector Participation Scheme estate. The total population is approximately 30,000.
Quarry Bay is an area beneath Mount Parker in the Eastern District of Hong Kong Island,in Hong Kong. Quarry Bay is bordered by Sai Wan Ho to the east,Mount Parker to the south,North Point to the west,and Victoria Harbour to the north.
Chai Wan Road located in Hong Kong,is one of the major roads in Chai Wan on Hong Kong Island. It runs from Shau Kei Wan to Chai Wan through Chai Wan Gap;with one of the steepest inclines in Hong Kong on either side,with signs posted 1 in 10 gradient. It is therefore popularly referred to as Cheung Meng Che (長命斜),or long-lived incline.
Route 1 is a major artery in Hong Kong that runs in a generally north-south direction,connecting Aberdeen with Sha Tin.
Sai Wan Ho is a primarily residential area on the northeastern shore of Hong Kong Island,Hong Kong,between Quarry Bay and Shau Kei Wan. It is part of the Eastern District,and is administered together with surrounding areas under the Eastern District Council.
King's Road is a major east–west road along the north of Hong Kong Island,Hong Kong,stretching from Causeway Bay,where it joins Causeway Road,to Sai Wan Ho,where it joins Shau Kei Wan Road.
Shau Kei Wan Road,formerly known as Shaukiwan Road,is the main road in Shau Kei Wan and Sai Wan Ho,Hong Kong.
Route 4 is an east-west road artery along the Hong Kong Island,Hong Kong. Formerly divided into routes 7 and 8,it was absorbed into Route 4 in 2004.
The Hong Kong Strategic Route and Exit Number System is a system adopted by the Transport Department of the Hong Kong Government to organise the major roads in the territory into routes 1 to 10 for the convenience of drivers. When the system was implemented in 2004,the government promoted it with a major public campaign,including the slogan "Remember the Numbers;Make Driving Easier".
The Grand Promenade is a high-rise residential development located at 38 Tai Hong Street,Sai Wan Ho,Hong Kong Island,Hong Kong. It is developed by Henderson Land Development and its subsidiary,The Hongkong and Yaumati Ferry Co Ltd. in 2005.
Les Saisons is a private estate in Hong Kong. Located in Sai Wan Ho of the Eastern District,Hong Kong Island,the property was co-developed by Swire Properties,China Motor Bus and Sun Hung Kai Properties. The estate was completed in October 2001. There is a total of 4 residential buildings with 866 car park spaces provided. More than half of the flats enjoy the sea view of Lei Yue Mun Strait.
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Preceded by Eastern Terminus | Hong Kong Route 4 Island Eastern Corridor | Succeeded by Central–Wan Chai Bypass |