Tunnels

The six government-owned tunnels - Lion Rock, Aberdeen, Airport, Shing
Mun, Tseung Kwan O and Cheung Tsing - are managed and operated by
private companies under management contracts. Tolls are controlled by
the government.

The Lion Rock Tunnel, linking Kowloon and Sha Tin, began single-tube
operation in 1967, with a second tube added in 1978. The 1.4-kilometre
tunnel is the most heavily used government tunnel, with 97 000 vehicles
daily. The toll was $6 in 1997.

The Aberdeen Tunnel, opened in 1982, links the north and south sides of
Hong Kong Island. It measures 1.9 kilometres and was used by 60 000
vehicles daily in 1997. The toll was $5.

The toll-free Airport Tunnel provides direct access from Hung Hom to
Hong Kong International Airport, and passes underneath the airport
runway to Kowloon Bay. Opened in 1982, the 1.3-kilometre tunnel was
used by 55 000 vehicles daily in 1997.

The Shing Mun Tunnels between Sha Tin and Tsuen Wan were opened
in 1990 and measure 2.6 kilometres. An average of 55 000 vehicles a
day paid $5 each to use them in 1997.

The 900-metre Tseung Kwan O Tunnel, opened in 1990, links Kowloon
and Tseung Kwan O New Town. It was used by 48 000 vehicles daily in
1997. The toll was $3.

The 1.6-kilometre, toll-free Cheung Tsing Tunnel opened in 1997 and
links Lantau Island with West Kowloon and the North-West New
Territories. It was used by about 6 000 vehicles daily.

The Cross-Harbour Tunnel, the Eastern Harbour Crossing, the Tate's
Cairn Tunnel and the Western Harbour Crossing were built by the private
sector under 'Build, Operate and Transfer' franchises.

The 1.9-kilometre Cross-Harbour Tunnel connects Causeway Bay on
Hong Kong Island and Hung Hom in Kowloon. Opened in 1972, it was
used by a daily average of 123 000 vehicles in 1997, making it one of
the world's busiest four-lane road tunnels. The tolls, which include a
government passage tax, varied from $4 to $30 per vehicle.

The Eastern Harbour Crossing is Hong Kong's second cross-harbour road
tunnel. It was opened in 1989 and links Quarry Bay on Hong Kong Island
and Cha Kwo Ling in Kowloon. A daily average of 86 000 vehicles used
the two-kilometre tunnel in 1997. Tolls ranged from $5 to $30. On the
Kowloon side, the Eastern Harbour Crossing is connected by elevated
roads to the Kowloon portal of the Tate's Cairn Tunnel.

The Tate's Cairn Tunnel was opened to traffic in 1991, providing an
additional direct road link between the north-eastern New Territories and
Kowloon. About four kilometres long, it is Hong Kong's longest road
tunnel and was used by an average of 71 000 vehicles daily in 1997,
paying $8 to $20 each.

The Western Harbour Crossing is the first six-lane road tunnel in Hong
Kong. Opened in April 1997, it links Sai Ying Pun on Hong Kong Island
and the West Kowloon Reclamation near Yau Ma Tei in Kowloon. Its
capacity of 180 000 vehicles per day is about 50 per cent higher than that
of the other two cross-harbour road tunnels. It was used by an average
of 22 000 vehicles daily in 1997. Tolls ranged from $15 to $95.

An automatic toll collection system was installed at the Cross-Harbour
Tunnel and Aberdeen Tunnel in August 1993, the Lion Rock Tunnel in
August 1994, the Eastern Harbour Crossing in September 1995, the Tate's
Cairn Tunnel in May 1996, the Western Harbour Crossing in April 1997,
and the Shing Mun Tunnels and Tseung Kwan O Tunnel in October 1997,
enabling motorists to drive through designated toll booths without
stopping.

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