New milestone: Permanent Secretary for Environment, Transport & Works Lo Yiu-ching speaks at the Eagle's Nest Tunnel breakthrough ceremony.

The construction of Route 8 has reached a significant milestone with the breakthrough of the Eagle's Nest Tunnel, Permanent Secretary for Environment, Transport & Works Lo Yiu-ching says.

Speaking at a ceremony marking the breakthrough today, Mr Lo said Route 8 will offer a direct link between the northeast New Territories, Kwai Chung container ports and the airport when fully completed at the end of 2008.

Motorists will enjoy an almost signal-free route from Tai Po and Fanling to West Kowloon, Kwai Chung and Chek Lap Kok. The new route will relieve other road links between the northeast New Territories and Kowloon.

Mr Lo expecs the section between Cheung Sha Wan and Sha Tin, including the 2.1km Eagle's Nest Tunnel, will be completed in mid-2007. It will be the first stage of Route 8 to be opened, slashing in half travel time between Sha Tin and Cheung Sha Wan.

He said the tunnel is an impressive piece of engineering, with nearly two million tonnes of excavated rock being either reused on other projects or processed into aggregates.

The tunnel and associated works cost $1.8 billion.