For discussion PWSC(96-97)60
on 6 November 1996

ITEM FOR PUBLIC WORKS SUBCOMMITTEE
OF FINANCE COMMITTEE

HEAD 706 - HIGHWAYS
Transport - Interchanges and bus termini
64TI - Public transport interchange in Siu Sai Wan

Members are invited to recommend to Finance Committee the upgrading of 64TI, entitled "Public transport interchange in Siu Sai Wan", to Category A at an estimated cost of $21.65 million.

PROBLEM

The terminal facilities for public transport in Siu Sai Wan cannot meet the need for the planned developments in the area.

PROPOSAL

2. The Director of Highways, with the support of the Secretary for Transport, proposes to upgrade 64TI to Category A for the construction of a public transport interchange (PTI) at an estimated cost of $21.65 million at the ground floor of a commercial/residential development on Chai Wan Inland Lot (CWIL) 152 in the Siu Sai Wan reclamation area.

PROJECT SCOPE AND NATURE

3. The scope of 64TI comprises -

  1. construction of ten bus bays, three green minibus stands, two taxi stands and one general loading/unloading bay; and
  2. installation of lighting, fire services and ventilation system.

JUSTIFICATION

4. There is now one permanent bus terminus with five bus bays in Siu Sai Wan. To relieve congestion at this bus terminus and provide terminal facilities for green minibus and taxis, we constructed a temporary PTI with four bus bays, a green minibus stand and a taxi stand near the existing bus terminus under a Category D item 61TI in November 1995. We have to vacate this site in 2001 to make way for construction of a neighbourhood community centre.

5. We expect the population to grow from the existing 52 000 to 68 000 upon full development of Siu Sai Wan in 2001. There will be new bus routes and additional green minibus routes to serve the increasing population. There is therefore a need to improve and increase the permanent terminal facilities in the area.

6. For site constraint reasons, we cannot expand the existing permanent bus terminus to accommodate requirements arising from new bus routes and provide terminal facilities for green minibus and taxis. We need to construct another permanent PTI on CWIL152 to replace the temporary one and to cater for new developments by 2001. We intend to entrust the proposed works to the developer of CWIL152 as part of the land sale conditions.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

7. We estimate the capital cost of the project to be $21.65 million in MOD prices, made up as follows -


$ million

(i) Civil works

6.91

(ii) Lighting, fire services and ventilation

11.92

(iii) Entrustment cost 1

2.82

Total

21.65

8. We intend to stipulate in the Conditions of Sale for CWIL152 requiring the developer to provide the PTI at the ceiling cost of $21.65 million2 . Government will reimburse the developer the actual cost upon completion of the works, subject to the ceiling figure. The developer will bear any additional cost above the ceiling including inflation adjustments3 .

9. We estimate the additional annually recurrent expenditure to be $3.87 million. We will review this estimate when we have finalised the design of the proposed public transport interchange.

PUBLIC CONSULTATION

10. We consulted the Traffic and Transport Committee of the Eastern District Board on the proposed project on 6 February 1996. The Committee supported the proposal.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS

11. The Director of Highways completed a preliminary environmental review on the project in July 1995. The Director of Environmental Protection agreed with the findings that the covered PTI would have no major long term environmental impact. No Environmental Impact Assessment is therefore required. We will require the developer to provide ventilation system to maintain the air quality in the interchange to meet established standards and guidelines, and to give due regard in the building design to minimize noise reverberation. For short-term impacts, we will require the developer to control noise, dust and site run-off nuisances through the implementation of mitigation measures in the construction contract.

LAND ACQUISITION

12. The project does not require any land acquisition.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

13. We upgraded 64TI to Category B in January 1996 for the construction of the PTI in Siu Sai Wan.

14. We plan to provide the proposed permanent PTI before closing the existing temporary one. The Director of Lands has scheduled to execute the land sale for CWIL152 in March 1997 so that the design and construction of the proposed PTI can start immediately afterwards for completion by March 2001. The developer of CWIL152 will hand over the PTI to the Government upon completion.

1 -- Entrustment cost represents the developer's on-cost for design, insurance, project management and resident site staff.
2 -- The sum of $21.65 million is estimated on the basis of the current cost to Government of building a stand-alone PTI on a green-field site.
3 -- Thus, unlike other public works projects, we do not need to calculate the value of this project at money-of-the-day prices to take into account inflation adjustment.

Last Updated on 16 August 1999