The Highways Department has signed a $1.328 billion contract with China State Construction Engineering (Hong Kong) Limited to reconstruct and improve the 4km Tuen Mun Road Tai Lam section from Siu Lam to Tsing Lung Tau to current expressway standards.

The works include widening traffic lanes, providing hard shoulders and verges, building highway structures, environmental mitigation measures, and drainage, slope and landscaping works.

At the contract-signing ceremony today, Director of Highways Wai Chi-sing said the department has been pushing ahead with several large-scale infrastructure projects to provide the public with an efficient road and rail network.

The reconstruction and improvement for the entire 15.5km dual three-lane Tuen Mun Road expressway will be implemented under three works contracts, which will create more than 2,000 jobs.

The first contract, covering Tsuen Wan to Tsing Lung Tau, began construction last October at a cost of about $2.822 billion. The one signed today for the Tai Lam section is the second one, while the third for the Sam Shing Hui section is being tendered for works to start in late 2009. The whole project is due to be completed in 2014.

The Town Centre Section between Yan Oi Town Square and Wong Chu Road will also be widened to meet the anticipated traffic growth after the commissioning of the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Corridor and the Deep Bay Link. The department will start the works under a separate contract later this year.

"This year, apart from the Tuen Mun Road project, we will launch several other roadworks and railway projects, including the widening of Tolo Highway from Island House Interchange to Tai Hang, the Central-Wanchai Bypass, West Island Line and Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link.  Implementation of these projects will create tens of thousands of jobs," Mr Wai said.