Road Network
Hong Kong's roads have one of the highest vehicle densities in
the world. At the end of 1997, there were 492 539 licensed
vehicles and about 1 831 kilometres of roads - 421 on Hong
Kong Island, 425 in Kowloon and 985 in the New Territories,
representing 269 vehicles per kilometre of road. This high
vehicle density, the difficult terrain and a dense building
development pose constant challenges to transport planning,
road construction and maintenance. There are 10 major road
tunnels, 912 flyovers and bridges, 507 footbridges and 315
subways to assist the mobility of vehicles and people.
To cope with increasing transport demands, the Highways
Department runs an extensive road construction programme.
About 35 road projects are under construction and another
50 are being planned.
The department's budget for the financial year ending March
1998 totalled $5.27 billion - $4.4 billion for major highway
construction, and $870 million for road and public lighting
maintenance work.
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