Tate's Cairn Tunnel

Tate's Cairn Tunnel
Part of Route 2
Route information
Maintained by Highways Department
Length: 3.92 km (2.44 mi)
Existed: 1991[1] – present
Major junctions
South end: Diamond Hill (near Tsz Wan Shan)
  No junctions
North end: Sha Tin Wai (near Siu Lek Yuen)
Location
Major cities: Wong Tai Sin, Sha Tin
Highway system
Hong Kong Strategic Route and Exit Number System
Tate's Cairn Tunnel
Chinese 大老山隧道

Tate's Cairn Tunnel is a four-lane road tunnel in Hong Kong. Constructed as part of Route 2, it links Diamond Hill, Kowloon with Siu Lek Yuen, Sha Tin, New Territories. 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 East side.

Tate's Cairn Tunnel is the longest road tunnel in Hong Kong, with the northbound tube having a length of 3,913 metres (12,838 ft) and southbound tube having a length of 3,945 metres (12,943 ft).

History

Construction of the Tate's Cairn Tunnel, begun in July 1988, was carried out by a joint venture between Gammon Construction and Nishimatsu.[2] Nishimatsu built the tunnel and the two ventilation buildings, while Gammon constructed the approach roads and buildings.[3]

The tunnel opened to traffic at 8:00 pm on 26 June 1991.[4] It was reported that traffic in the Lion Rock Tunnel dropped 20 per cent during the Tate Cairn Tunnel's first day of operation.[5] The tunnel was formally inaugurated by Governor David Wilson on 1 July 1991.[6]

Franchise model

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.[7]

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 is allowed to earn a reasonable but not excessive return through the collection of tolls. On expiration, the tunnel will be transferred to the Government. The statutory requirements to the Company are defined by the Tate's Cairn Tunnel Ordinance.[7]

Tunnel tolls

Tolls are collected manually or electronically in both directions at the toll plaza on the Sha Tin side.

Category Vehicle Toll[Note 1][8]
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

Notes

  1. ↑ As of 22 January 2016

Tunnel facilities

References

  1. ↑ "Transport in Hong Kong – Tunnels and Bridges". Transport Department of the Government of Hong Kong. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
  2. ↑ "HK's longest tunnel opens months early". South China Morning Post. 1 July 1991. p. 48.
  3. ↑ Mundy, J.K. (1 July 1991). "Long road to vital linkage". South China Morning Post. p. 49.
  4. ↑ Lau, Jeremy (26 June 1991). "Tate's Cairn to help cut travel time". South China Morning Post. p. 3.
  5. ↑ Lau, Jeremy (28 June 1991). "Tate's Cairn debut spurs calls for Lion Rock toll cut". South China Morning Post. p. 3.
  6. ↑ Wong, Lorna (2 July 1991). "Tate's Cairn daily target on schedule". South China Morning Post. p. 6.
  7. 1 2 Annual Report 2011. Tate’s Cairn Tunnel Company Limited
  8. ↑ Toll Rates of Road Tunnels and Lantau Link Transport Department, Government of Hong Kong. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
Preceded by
Kwun Tong Bypass		 Hong Kong Route 2

Tate's Cairn Tunnel 		Succeeded by
Tate's Cairn Highway

Coordinates: 22°21′50″N 114°12′43″E / 22.3640°N 114.2119°E / 22.3640; 114.2119

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.