Overview | |
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Location | Hong Kong |
Coordinates | 22°21′50″N114°12′43″E / 22.3640°N 114.2119°E |
Route | Route 2 |
Start | Diamond Hill, New Kowloon |
End | Siu Lek Yuen, Sha Tin, New Territories |
Operation | |
Work begun | July 1988 |
Opened | 26 June 1991 |
Owner | Hong Kong Government |
Traffic | Vehicular |
Toll | Yes |
Technical | |
Length | 3,913 metres (12,838 ft) – Northbound 3,945 metres (12,943 ft) – Southbound |
No. of lanes | 4 (2 per direction) |
Operating speed | 70 km/h (45 mph) |
Tate's Cairn Tunnel | |||||||||||
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Chinese | 大老山隧道 | ||||||||||
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Tate's Cairn Tunnel is a four-lane road tunnel in Hong Kong. Constructed as part of Route 2,it links Diamond Hill,New Kowloon with Siu Lek Yuen,Sha Tin,New Territories East. It opened on 26 June 1991.
Its toll plaza is situated on the Sha Tin side,leading to Tate's Cairn Highway,Sha Lek Highway and various local roads. The tunnel joins the Kwun Tong Bypass and is connected with Lung Cheung Road and Hammer Hill Road and several local roads on the Kowloon side.
Tate's Cairn Tunnel is the third longest road tunnel in the New Territories and in Hong Kong,and the second longest over land,with the northbound tube having a length of 3,913 metres (2.43 mi) and southbound tube having a length of 3,945 metres (2.45 mi),after Tuen Mun–Chek Lap Kok Tunnel (at 3.1 miles (4.99 km)) and Lung Shan Tunnel (3 miles (4.83 km)) –It was the longest when it opened.
Construction of the Tate's Cairn Tunnel,begun in July 1988,was carried out by a joint venture between Gammon Construction and Nishimatsu. [1] Nishimatsu built the tunnel and the two ventilation buildings,while Gammon constructed the approach roads and buildings. [2]
The tunnel opened to traffic at 8:00 pm on 26 June 1991. [3] It was reported that traffic in the Lion Rock Tunnel dropped 20 per cent during the Tate's Cairn Tunnel's first day of operation. [4] The tunnel was formally inaugurated by Governor David Wilson on 1 July that year. [5]
The Tate's Cairn Tunnel is a BOT (build,operate,transfer) infrastructure project funded 100% by the private sector. The BOT franchise was awarded to the Tate's Cairn Tunnel Company Limited for a period of 30 years by the Hong Kong Government in 1988. [6]
Under the terms of the BOT,the franchisee is responsible for the construction and operation of the tunnel until the end of the franchise period. During the franchise period,the company was allowed to earn a reasonable but not excessive return through the collection of tolls. The statutory requirements to the company were defined by the Tate's Cairn Tunnel Ordinance. [6] Upon the expiration of franchise at midnight of 11 July 2018,the tunnel is now transferred to the government.
Tolls are collected manually or electronically in both directions at the toll plaza on the Sha Tin side.
Category | Vehicle | Toll [Note 1] [7] |
---|---|---|
1 | Motorcycle | $15 |
2 | Private car | $20 |
Taxi | ||
3 | Public light bus | $23 |
Private light bus | $24 | |
4 | Light goods vehicle (less than 5.5 tonnes) | |
5 | Medium goods vehicle (5.5 to 24 tonnes) | $28 |
6 | Heavy goods vehicle (more than 24 tonnes) | |
7 | Single-decker bus | $32 |
8 | Double-decker bus | $35 |
Additional axle | $24 |
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Siu Lek Yuen is an area in Sha Tin District, New Territories East. Located to the east of Yuen Chau Kok, the area is surrounded on three sides by the Ma On Shan Country Park. Nowadays it is a residential area.
Sha Lek Highway, opened on 26 June 1991, is a section of expressway in Sha Tin District, New Territories, Hong Kong. It runs 1.5 km from Tate's Cairn Highway in Siu Lek Yuen to Sha Tin Road and Sha Tin Wai Road and has a speed limit of 80 km/h. It is one of the only three expressways in Hong Kong not assigned to any numbered highway system.
Preceded by Kwun Tong Bypass | Hong Kong Route 2 Tate's Cairn Tunnel | Succeeded by Tate's Cairn Highway |