The Kap Shui Mun Bridge (KSMB) in Hong Kong, part of Lantau Link of Route 8 , is one of the longest cable-stayed bridges in the world that transports both road and railway traffic, with the upper deck used for motor vehicles and the lower deck for both vehicles and the MTR . It has a main span of 430 metres (1,410 ft) and an overall length of 750 metres (2,460 ft). It spans the Kap Shui Mun marine channel between Ma Wan and Lantau islands and has a vertical clearance of 47 metres (154 ft) above sea level . The bridge was completed in 1997.
26-525: The total length of the Kap Shui Mun Bridge includes a 70-metre (230 ft) approach span on the Lantau side. There is a column in each of the back spans of the cable stayed bridge, making four 80-metre (260 ft) spans, adding to the 430-metre (1,410 ft) main span. This makes the total length 820 metres (2,690 ft). The 503-metre (1,650 ft) Ma Wan Viaduct was constructed under
52-467: Is 503 metres (1,650 ft) long and has six spans (one 80-metre (260 ft) long span, four 87-metre (285 ft) long spans, and one 75-metre (246 ft) long span). It is built using post-tensioned concrete. The Ma Wan Viaduct has the same cross section as the Tsing Ma and Kap Shui Mun Bridges: a dual three-lane carriageway on the upper deck and two tracks of railway and two lanes of roadway in
78-834: Is a viaduct built over Ma Wan , an island in Hong Kong. The viaduct connects the Tsing Ma Bridge and Kap Shui Mun Bridge with an exit to Ma Wan Road, and is part of the Lantau Link (formerly known as the Lantau Fixed Crossing) and Route 8 . It was opened on 22 May 1997 and was built to provide access to the Hong Kong International Airport (Chek Lap Kok Airport) as part of the Airport Core Programme . It
104-539: Is closely monitored by the Wind and Structural Health Monitoring System (WASHMS). Concrete strength of towers: Grade 50/20 or 50MPa The bridge has a height restriction of 41 metres for vessels passing underneath. On 23 October 2015, a barge attempted to pass under the bridge with a broken-down crane that could not be lowered. The crane had a maximum height of 43 metres, but was tilted slightly to 41 metres. The bridge has an actual clearance of 47 metres, but potentially due to
130-408: Is less than half of the main span length (which would be 215 metres (705 ft)). To provide the balance that symmetry will normally provide, part of the bridge has a composite structure. The center 387 metres (1,270 ft) of the main span uses a steel-concrete composite to make the structure lighter. The back spans and the rest of the main span are concrete. Using the lighter steel cross section in
156-472: Is now known as Tsing Kwai Highway . The Tsing Yi section comprises the 500-metre (550 yd) long Cheung Tsing Bridge , which crosses over Rambler Channel , and the 1.6 km (0.99 miles) Cheung Tsing Tunnel , which cuts through the high ground on Tsing Yi Island. This section is now known as the Cheung Tsing Highway . This is a six-lane motorway 4.2 km (2.6 miles) in length with
182-482: Is the centrepiece of this massive project; it provided the foundation for the other nine core projects of the Airport Core Programme. Chek Lap Kok was selected as an optimal site due to its development potential. Construction finally started in 1992 and was planned to finish in mid-1997. Chris Patten , the last Governor of Hong Kong, expressed his hope of leaving Hong Kong via the new airport after
208-711: The Airport Express and the Tung Chung line which provides a commuter service linking the new town of Tung Chung to the city. These two lines share the same double-tracks for most of their routes, however, the railway was initially planned to have four tracks along its length. The commuter service offered by the Tung Chung line also provided relief to the overcrowded Tsuen Wan line of the MTR . Comprising Kap Shui Mun Bridge , Tsing Ma Bridge and Ma Wan Viaduct ,
234-779: The New Territories . The Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi sections were built to link the Lantau Link and West Kowloon Expressway . The Kwai Chung section is 3 km (1.9 miles) in length. The route connects with the West Kowloon Highway near Lai Chi Kok , then bypasses the Kwai Tsing Container Terminals , finally connecting with the Cheung Tsing Bridge of the Tsing Yi section. It is an 8-lane elevated motorway. This section
260-564: The transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong , though this did not materialise. The airport finally came into operation on 6 July 1998, at a cost of around US$ 20 billion. The Airport Railway was built to connect Kowloon Peninsula and Hong Kong Island (over the Western Immersed Tube) to the airport and the planned new town of northern Lantau . The railway is operated by the MTR Corporation and has two routes:
286-619: The Lantau Link connects Lantau with Tsing Yi , via Ma Wan . It carries both road and railway traffic between the islands. This is the third cross-harbour tunnel for Victoria Harbour . Built under a build-operate-transfer agreement with the Western Harbour Tunnel Company , the tunnel was intended to relieve congestion at the Cross-Harbour Tunnel and is part of expressway Route 3 . With
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#1732772072509312-497: The airport from the city from about 7:40 pm to 10:00 pm. The government's contingency plan to implement emergency ferry service between Tsuen Wan and Tung Chung failed as the ferry operator took almost two hours to ready the service. Some travelers attempted to reach the airport via the Discovery Bay Ferry Pier , although many missed their flights. The Highways Department inspected the bridge and found that only
338-444: The enclosed lower deck. The lanes on the lower deck allow for maintenance and the diversion of traffic during high winds. The railway carries the Tung Chung and Airport Express lines of Hong Kong's Mass Transit Railway (MTR) . This Hong Kong road article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Airport Core Programme The Airport Core Programme was a series of infrastructure projects centred on
364-518: The growth of the economy of Hong Kong during the 1970s, the project reemerged for discussion. The government earmarked Chek Lap Kok , just off the north coast of Lantau Island near Tung Chung , as the designated site for the new airport. However, the plan was shelved in 1983 for economic reasons, as well as the question of Hong Kong's sovereignty and the impending signing of the Sino-British Joint Declaration . The plan
390-502: The high tide and wave action, the crane struck the bridge and damaged its underside. The Tsing Ma Bridge has a higher height clearance of 53 metres but a source said the captain of the tugboat towing the barge may have opted to take Kap Shui Mun to save time. The strike triggered the Ship Impact Detection System to issue an alarm and both the road and railway were shut down immediately, severing Lantau Island and
416-466: The highest posted speed limit in Hong Kong, at 110 km/h (68 mph) on most of its length, this six-lane motorway links Tung Chung in the west to the Lantau Link in the east, via the north coast of Lantau . A service road, Cheung Tung Road [ zh ] , runs parallel to it between Tung Chung and Yam O . Route 3 is one of the 10 strategic expressway routes of Hong Kong, linking Sai Ying Pun on Hong Kong Island and Yuen Long in
442-758: The inspection platform rails were damaged by the collision, and that the structural integrity of the bridge was not jeopardised. In the days following the incident there were calls in local media for the government to build a second link to the airport. In fact, such a link was already under construction: the Tuen Mun–Chek Lap Kok Link road tunnel was being constructed as part of the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge project. This opened in 2020. 22°20′39.3″N 114°3′19.3″E / 22.344250°N 114.055361°E / 22.344250; 114.055361 Ma Wan Viaduct Ma Wan Viaduct
468-500: The majority of the main span serves to equalize the horizontal forces on the towers and balance the bridge. Because the lower deck carries both rail and traffic, the cross section is designed as a Vierendeel truss . This means that there are no diagonal members in the cross section and that vehicles and rail cars drive through the openings provided by the Vierendeel design. Along with the Tsing Ma Bridge and Ting Kau Bridge , it
494-603: The new Hong Kong International Airport during the early 1990s. The programme was part of the Port and Airport Development Strategy , commonly known as the Rose Garden Project . The cost for the whole project was estimated at over HK$ 200 billion, and the Chinese Government was concerned about its impact on the financial reserve of the future Hong Kong SAR Government . Several changes were made to
520-466: The new town in Northern Lantau is centred on Tung Chung and was planned to provide housing to 18,000 people. The new town was meant to be a supporting community for the new Hong Kong International Airport , as well as to act as a "gateway" to Hong Kong for visitors. At present, phases I, II and IIIA of the new town have been completed, all around Tung Chung . When all 4 phases are completed,
546-791: The northern 2 km (1.2 miles) elevated for the Airport Railway running underneath. It links the Kowloon portal of the Western Harbour Crossing in the south to the Tsing Kwai Highway in the north and is built entirely on newly reclaimed land in West Kowloon . Reclamation work was needed along the west coast of Kowloon Peninsula to provide land for the expressway, Route 3 , as well as supporting infrastructure. The Airport Railway also runs through
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#1732772072509572-508: The plan, including the shortening in distance of the two main towers of the Tsing Ma Bridge and the construction of the Airport Railway as a double-track railway. The project ended up costing HK$ 160.2 billion. The Programme formally commenced after the signing of a memorandum of understanding between British Prime Minister John Major and Chinese Premier Li Peng in Beijing on 3 September 1991, and lasted eight years in total. It
598-423: The reclaimed land of West Kowloon . The reclamation work has increased the area of Kowloon Peninsula by 30%. This phase required the reclamation of an area of 20 hectares (49 acres) along the waterfront of Central to provide land for the Airport Railway's Hong Kong station . Two ferry piers serving outlying islands as well as a government dockyard had to be relocated to facilitate the work. The first phase of
624-540: The same contract as the KSMB. The viaduct connects the KSMB to the Tsing Ma Bridge , forming the Lantau Link, which was built to provide access to the new airport. The navigation clearance of 47 metres (154 ft) is part of the reason that the H-shaped towers are 150 metres (490 ft) tall. The Kap Shui Mun Bridge is not symmetrical, in that the 160-metre (520 ft) back span length (two 80-metre (260 ft) spans)
650-643: Was announced on 11 October 1989 by the then Governor David Wilson , and it was perceived to be part of the government's effort to reinstate confidence in Hong Kong after the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 . The public was initially surprised by the huge budget and there were concerns that it would drain much of the public revenue. The programme was completed with the opening of the new Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok in July 1998. The programme included: The Hong Kong International Airport
676-625: Was the most expensive airport project in the world, according to the Guinness World Records . It was the biggest infrastructure programme in Hong Kong's history. Plans to replace the old Kai Tak Airport were drafted after the Second World War. However, for financial and political reasons, the plan was abandoned in 1951 and the Hong Kong Government decided to expand the original airport instead. With
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