Lai Chi Kok Bridge

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Lai Chi Kok Bridge

荔枝角大橋
Kwai Chung Road, near Mei Foo Sun Chuen (Hong Kong).jpg
Eastern end of the bridge
Coordinates 22°20′15″N114°08′15″E / 22.3374°N 114.1375°E / 22.3374; 114.1375 Coordinates: 22°20′15″N114°08′15″E / 22.3374°N 114.1375°E / 22.3374; 114.1375
CarriesVehicles, pedestrians
Locale Lai Chi Kok, Hong Kong
Owner Hong Kong Government
Maintained by Highways Department
Characteristics
MaterialConcrete
Total length2,600 feet (790 m)
No. of spans29
No. of lanes 6
History
Designer Scott and Wilson, Kirkpatrick and Partners
Constructed by Paul Y. Construction
Construction start1966;55 years ago (1966)
Construction costHK$13.5 million
Inaugurated29 October 1968;52 years ago (1968-10-29)
Statistics
Daily traffic 82,560 (2016)
Location
Lai Chi Kok Bridge
Lai Chi Kok Bridge
Traditional Chinese 荔枝角大橋
The Mei Foo Bus Terminus, below Lai Chi Kok Bridge Mei Foo Sun Chuen 2008.jpg
The Mei Foo Bus Terminus, below Lai Chi Kok Bridge

Lai Chi Kok Bridge is a Hong Kong bridge that carries the Kwai Chung Road, part of Route 5, linking Kowloon to Kwai Chung, New Territories.

Contents

The bridge, once the longest in Hong Kong, spanned Lai Chi Kok Bay, which was later filled in. It continues as an elevated road through Mei Foo Sun Chuen, a private housing estate. The former bay (below the bridge) is now Lai Chi Kok Park as well as Mei Foo station of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR).

Nomenclature

The name is sometimes rendered as Laichikok Bridge in English. [1] The Transport Department traffic census refers to it as the Lai Chi Kok Bay Bridge. [2] [3] It is also called the Kwai Chung Road Flyover in some government sources, but confusingly this name is also sometimes used to describe a different flyover farther west on Kwai Chung Road, close to Kwai Fong Estate. [4] [5]

History

The bridge was built to link Kowloon with ongoing industrial and new town development in Tsuen Wan and Kwai Chung, providing an alternative to the older, congested Castle Peak Road. [6] Construction began in 1966. [7] Built at a cost of about HK$13.5 million, the new bridge, then Hong Kong's longest, was officially opened on 29 October 1968 by acting governor Michael David Irving Gass. [8] Kwai Chung Road was built along the coastline to the west of the bridge at the same time in order to complete the new link to Kwai Chung. [6]

Mei Foo Sun Chuen, a private housing estate with 99 residential blocks, was developed roughly at the same time. Lai Chi Kok Bridge continues through the estate as an elevated roadway. Various amenities were built under the bridge here, including the community's wet market, bus terminus, an open plaza, and a community centre. [9]

In 1975, the Hong Kong Government announced plans to reclaim Lai Chi Kok Bay, providing a park on the new land to help resolve the scarcity of public recreational space in the area. It said the bay, popular with swimmers, was badly polluted and constituted a health hazard. [10] The bay was subsequently filled in, meaning the bridge no longer spans any water and simply resembles an elevated road. The bridge required underpinning to contend with additional loading imposed by the new fill. [11]

In the 1990s, the Urban Council developed the new land directly under the bridge as the Lai Chi Kok Park Stage II. From 1999 to 2003, an extension of Mei Foo station was constructed as part of the West Rail project, adding new railway platforms and a new ticketing concourse. These new structures were built directly below the Lai Chi Kok Bridge, causing the bridge to shift slightly. [12]

Design and construction

The bridge is a 2600-foot-long concrete structure with 29 spans. [6] It was designed by Scott and Wilson, Kirkpatrick and Partners together with the former Public Works Department of the Hong Kong Government, and built by Paul Y. Construction. [1] [13]

Traffic

The bridge deck carries three vehicular lanes in each direction. Part of the bridge (the part that spanned the former bay) also has pavements on both sides of the carriageway. There are two slip roads partway along the bridge – one allows eastbound traffic to exit onto Cheung Sha Wan Road, while the other allows westbound traffic to enter the bridge from Lai Chi Kok Road. [14]

According to the Transport Department, the part of the bridge that spanned the bay (i.e. west of the slip roads) registered annual average daily traffic (AADT) of 82,740 in 2017. [2]

Noise

The bridge bisects Mei Foo Sun Chuen, and parts of the road pass very close to residential blocks. As a result, some residents have long complained that the road constitutes a noise nuisance. In 2000, the Hong Kong Government announced a policy to implement noise reduction strategies at flyovers that pass close to buildings, including constructing acoustic barriers and resurfacing roads with "low-noise material". [4] Under this policy, the Lai Chi Kok Bridge was resurfaced in the early 2000s. However, the government said that adding noise barriers was not feasible as the road structure cannot support the added weight. Further, it said that there was no space for a separate noise barrier structure, and the barriers would obstruct firefighting in the event of a fire. [15] [4]

See also

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Mei Foo Sun Chuen Housing estate in Lai Chi Kok, Hong Kong

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Lai Chi Kok Place in Sham Shui Po District

Lai Chi Kok is a neighborhood in New Kowloon, Hong Kong, east of Kwai Chung and west of Cheung Sha Wan. Mei Foo Sun Chuen is the largest housing estate in the area and also the largest in the HKSAR with 99 blocks. Administratively, it belongs to the Sham Shui Po District.

West Kowloon Corridor Trunk road in Kowloon, Hong Kong

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Lai Chi Kok Road

Lai Chi Kok Road is a road in western New Kowloon, Hong Kong. It links Lai Chi Kok to Mong Kok, via Tai Kok Tsui, Sham Shui Po and Cheung Sha Wan. It starts from a junction with Nathan Road near Pioneer Centre in the south and ends near Mei Foo Sun Chuen. The road is bidirectional except the section at Lai Chi Kok, between the junction with Butterfly Valley Road and Mei Foo Sun Chuen, where it serves New Territories-bound traffic. The Kowloon-bound is left to Cheung Sha Wan Road, separated by the flyover of Kwai Chung Road.

Kwai Chung Road

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Route 5 (Hong Kong) Road in Hong Kong

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Lai Chi Kok Bay or Lai Wan was a bay west of Lai Chi Kok in Hong Kong. North of the bay is Kau Wa Keng. The bay was largely recreational during its history. In the early and mid 20th century, bathing pavilions were built on the beach of the bay for swimmers, and boats were rented for rowing around the bay. Lai Chi Kok Amusement Park, the Song Dynasty Village, and theatres were built on the shore. The bay was later reclaimed and recreational facilities like a park, swimming pool, library, and indoor sports facilities were built. Lai Chi Kok Bay literally means the point of lychee.

Kau Wa Keng

Kau Wa Keng, or Kau Wah Keng or Kau Wa Kang, is a village and valley in Lai King, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is located near the reclaimed Lai Chi Kok Bay in New Kowloon. Three rivers in the valley once joined at the bay and formed a beach at the estuary. Kau Wah Keng is the former site of Lai Chi Kok Amusement Park, which was closed in 1997.

Discovery Park (Hong Kong)

D•Park, previously named Discovery Park, is a residential development in Hong Kong, located at 398 Castle Peak Road, Tsuen Wan in the New Territories. The whole estate including the residential flats and the shopping centre spans over 2,700,000 square feet (250,000 m2).

Mei Lam Estate

Mei Lam Estate is a public housing estate in Tai Wai, Sha Tin District, New Territories, Hong Kong, located on both sides of Tai Wai Nullah and near Mei Chung Court, May Shing Court and the Shing Mun Tunnels.

Nob Hill (Hong Kong)

Nob Hill is a private housing estate in Lai Chi Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong, located at the former site of Lai Chi Kok Amusement Park, together with Wah Lai Estate and Lai Yan Court. It has three residential blocks and a shopping centre. It was jointly developed by Cheung Kong Holdings and Far East Hotels and Entertainment in 2002.

Mei Foo Ferry Pier was a ferry pier in Mei Foo Sun Chuen, Lai Chi Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong, located outside Block 6 of the estate.

References

  1. 1 2 "Laichikok Bridge Is H.K.'s Longest". South China Morning Post. 15 April 1967. p. 1.
  2. 1 2 The Annual Traffic Census 2017 (PDF) (Report). Transport Department. August 2018. p. B-27. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 October 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2019.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  3. "The Annual Traffic Census 2016" (PDF). Hong Kong: Transport Department. August 2017. p. B-27.
  4. 1 2 3 Au, Elvis W.K. (3 April 2002). "Resurfaced flyover should be less noisy". South China Morning Post.
  5. "Progress of Measures to Address Noise Impact of Existing Roads" (PDF). Legislative Council. 24 February 2003.
  6. 1 2 3 "H.K.'s longest bridge ready for use soon". South China Morning Post. 17 October 1968. p. 7.
  7. Maslowicz, Andrew (Christmas 1972). "Our Share in the 'Roads and Bridges' Stakes" (PDF). Pontifact. Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick and Partners (30): 32.
  8. "Laichikok Bridge opened today, new traffic routing announced". South China Morning Post. 29 October 1968. p. 6.
  9. "Ground-breaking ceremony held for Sham Shui Po District Council Yan Oi Tong Mei Foo Neighbourhood Activity Centre". Hong Kong Government. 29 April 2016.
  10. "Laichikok Bay to be turned into park". South China Morning Post. 30 May 1975. p. 6.
  11. "Further reclamation". Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick Today (40): 5. May 1989.
  12. "Review of Payments to Contractors for the West Rail Project" (PDF). Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation. April 2002.
  13. Tam, Angela (2013). "HKIE Awards – Gold medal". Hong Kong Engineer. Hong Kong Institution of Engineers. 41 (5). Archived from the original on 20 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  14. Google (31 March 2019). "Lai Chi Kok Bridge" (Map). Google Maps . Google. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  15. "Study for Retrofitting Barriers on Existing Roads: Executive Summary" (PDF). Environmental Protection Department. March 2000. p. 10.

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