Ching Cheung Road eastbound resurfacing to start in late November
Hong Kong's Highways Department will resurface an 800-metre section of Ching Cheung Road eastbound from late November. Night works from 9pm to 6am will close one or two lanes, with a reduced speed limit of 50km/h. The project uses a new asphalt material to improve road conditions and reduce noise.
The Highways Department plans to resurface an 800-metre section of Ching Cheung Road eastbound, from the Butterfly Valley fresh water primary service reservoir to Caritas Medical Centre, in late November. The works will use a 20mm-thick "high-performance ultra-thin wearing course."
Works will mainly be carried out from 9pm to 6am, with one or two lanes temporarily closed. The speed limit on the affected section will be reduced from 70km/h to 50km/h, and all lanes will fully reopen at 6am. The department said the remaining lanes during night works will be sufficient for traffic flow.
In a document submitted to the Sham Shui Po District Council's transport committee, the department said Ching Cheung Road and Lung Cheung Road span about 10km, about half of which is concrete. With the opening of the Central Kowloon Route, morning peak-hour traffic on the two roads has dropped by about 20 per cent, so it plans to lay the new surface on the concrete sections in phases.
The department said the high-performance ultra-thin wearing course is a new asphalt material and paving technology made of high-viscosity elastic asphalt and hard, wear-resistant aggregate. It can be laid directly on existing concrete without major excavation, shortening construction time. The new material is crack-resistant and skid-resistant, and converts the concrete surface into a smoother asphalt one.
Preliminary tests by the Environmental Protection Department showed the new surface can effectively reduce traffic noise, with effects similar to low-noise road surfaces used on highways. The department will continue monitoring long-term noise reduction.
The main strengthening and paving works are expected to be completed within two weeks, followed by ancillary works such as upgrading manhole covers, with the whole project expected to finish before January next year. During ancillary works on the four-lane section near Caritas Medical Centre, the slow lane will be temporarily closed all day, with the remaining three lanes open. The department will use low-noise equipment and acoustic metamaterial noise enclosures, and will complete louder works before 11pm to minimise impact on nearby residents.