Cross-Harbour Tunnel

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Cross-Harbour Tunnel
Entrance to the tunnel in Hung Hom
Info
Location	Beneath Victoria Harbour, between Hung Hom and Causeway Bay
Coordinates	22°17′29″N 114°10′56″E / 22.29139°N 114.18222°E / 22.29139; 114.18222 (Cross-Harbour Tunnel)
Status	Active
Start	Hung Hom, Kowloon (between Hong Chong Road and Salisbury Road)
End	Northern Causeway Bay, Hong Kong Island (Canal Road Flyover)
Operation
Opened	August 2, 1972
Owner	Hong Kong Government
Operator	Hong Kong Transport, Logistics and Management Co Ltd
Technical
Line length	1.86 kilometres
No. of tracks	2 per tube, 4 in total

The Cross-Harbour Tunnel (abbreviated CHT or XHT) is the first tunnel in Hong Kong built under water. Since its construction, its traffic has increased, becoming one of the most congested roads (mainly towards Hong Kong Island direction) in Hong Kong and the world. The tunnel was constructed using the Immersed tube method.

[edit] History

Constructed by a private company and operated under a 30-year franchise, the 1.8 km-long tunnel crossing opened in 1972, providing the first road link between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island; Cross-harbour vehicular traffic depended on ferries before the tunnel was built.

The tunnel links the main financial and commercial districts on both sides of Victoria Harbour, connecting Kellett Island (a former island now connected to Hong Kong Island by reclamation), Hong Kong Island with a reclaimed site at Hung Hom Bay, Kowloon. The toll plaza is located at the Hung Hom end of the tunnel, and has 14 toll booths.

It was administered by The Cross-Harbour Tunnel Company Ltd until August 1999, when the operation franchise agreement expired and the government assumed control.

[edit] Continued congestion

The area around the entrance of the Cross Harbour Tunnel at the Island side in the 1970s, when the tunnel was being constructed.

Although other road tunnels, the Eastern Harbour Crossing and Western Harbour Crossing, have been built across the Victoria Harbour to divert traffic from the Cross-Harbour Tunnel, traffic congestion has not improved. Two reasons include the less convenient locations of the other two tunnels compared with the Cross-Harbour Tunnel, and more importantly the control of new tunnels by the powerful state-owned investment group CITIC Pacific. The tolls for crossing each of the other two tunnels are significantly higher, and were further increased in 2005 by up to 67% to boost investment returns.^[1]

The Government of Hong Kong claimed it was powerless to prevent the sharp increase in tolls, and is currently looking at other options to relieve the traffic, including a plan to build a fourth harbour crossing tunnel. Although it encourages motorists to use public buses (which are usually 90% full) but does not give buses priority access to the tunnel and strongly encourages taking MTR East Rail Line and then switching to MTR Tsuen Wan Line at East Tsim Sha Tsui Station.

[edit] Transport

Bus routes that pass through the tunnel:

• Kowloon Motor Bus/New World First Bus: 101, 101R, 102R, 104, 106, 106P, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 115, 115P, 116, 301, 305
• Kowloon Motor Bus/Citybus: 102, 102P, 103, 107, 107P, 117, 118, 118P, 170, 171, 171P, 182, 182P, 807
• Kowloon Motor Bus: 108, 336
• Overnights: N11, N118, N121, N122, N170, N171, N182, N368

[edit] See also

• List of tunnels and bridges in Hong Kong
• Megaproject

[edit] References

Cross-Harbour Tunnel Hong Kong Route 1 Chronology
Preceded by Canal Road (Flyover)	Cross-Harbour Tunnel	Succeeded by Princess Margaret Road