The HyD will continue to liaise closely with them to understand and address their concerns.

In reply, the PGE/RD of Hy D advised that while the daily operation and maintenance works related to WR would be carried out by the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation, the CE/WR would be required to oversee and help resolve expeditiously the outstanding maintenance and operation issues of the associated Essential Public Infrastructure Works.

According to Hy D, the programme of North Lantau Highway Connection will tie in with that of the Hong Kong - Zhuhai - Macao Bridge and the related Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities.

(iv) For streets frequently cleansed by high pressure water jets, such as those near markets, the HyD uses sand cement instead of sand as the bedding layer of the slabs, and fills the seams between slabs with joint sealant to reduce the unevenness caused by street washing.

The Director of Highways (D of Hy) supplemented that while both the Government and MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) entrusted with the project were subject to the World Trade Organization Agreement on Government Procurement (WTO GPA), the two would examine with relevant labour unions and worker organizations ways to ensure that local workers could participate in the project as far as possible.

The ADG/SC briefed the Bureau on the progress in the restructuring of the Science Sector and highlighted the role of SC/HYD in contributing to crosscutting programmes under the new structure, and the possible streamlining of the publication process of highly technical publications such as those originating at SC/HYD.

The HyD, Lands Department, other concerned departments and MTRCL regularly met with CYT villagers, either individually or in small groups, to understand their concerns and explain to them details of the HKS of the XRL scheme.

Hy9 (http://www.hy9.com), the leading provider of point-of-use, high purity hydrogen generation products for fuel cells, and Sankosha Corporation, the leading provider of communications systems and enclosures for the telecommunications industry, today announced their agreement to collaborate to develop the Asian market for reformer based fuel cell power systems which operate on readily available methanol as fuel.

Where circumstances permit, the HyD will opt to use lands that are yet to be developed for use as its temporary work depots, as this is a more effective and flexible way of utilizing vacant Government land resources.

To address the concerns of the residents of Richland Garden over the environmental impact of these temporary sites, the HyD has reviewed the situation and requested the contractors to strengthen the relevant mitigation measures, including relocation of the storage areas away from the residential premises as far as possible; proper covering of stored materials to prevent dust emission; avoiding the carrying out of noisy operations in the early morning or at night; regular inspection of the drainage system to prevent accumulation of stagnant water; and carrying out more planting to beautify the environment.

Chief Engineer 5, Major Works of HyD ("CE5/MW") briefed members with the aid of a powerpoint presentation [LC Paper No. CB(1)184/12-13(02)] on the Administration's proposal to increase the approved project estimate ("APE") for 76TI (bus-bus interchanges ("BBIs") on Tuen Mun Road ("TMR")) ("the BBI Project"), by $43.0 million from $162.3 million to $205.3 million in money-of-the-day ("MOD") prices in order to: (i) expand the scope of the BBI Project for additional permanent toilet facilities at the BBIs; (ii) carry out additional works to overcome unforeseen difficult ground conditions and suit the actual site conditions; and (iii) increase provision for price adjustment.

The Director of Highways (D of Hy), with the support of the Secretary for Transport and Housing, proposes to upgrade part of 3QR to Category A at an estimated cost of $ 233.5 million in money-of-the-day (MOD) prices to fund the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR)’s share for the engagement of consultants to undertake the preliminary design and site investigation for the HZMB Main Bridge.

In January 2003, D of Hy included an item under Subhead 6100TX “Highway works, studies and investigations for items in Category D of the Public Works Programme” to fund HKSAR’s share of the cost for the Institute of Comprehensive Transportation (ICT) to conduct a study entitled “Transport Linkage between Hong Kong and Pearl River West” at a cost of $800,000.

Representatives of Transport and Housing Bureau, HyD and TD have attended a series of public forums with the locals that were organized by the DC members and various political parties.

In order to take up the duties associated with the planning and implementation of the above, HyD needs to establish a HZMB Hong Kong Project Management Office with the creation of two supernumerary directorate posts of one PGE and one CE and temporary redeployment of one CE from MWPMO, together with the necessary supporting staff.

The aforementioned Block Licence issued by the LandsD stipulates that when installing fixed telecommunications network facilities on public roads or in future road reserves, FTNS providers must ensure that the detailed alignment and disposition of the facilities or any part thereof (such as the height, appearance and space to be occupied), shall be to the satisfaction of the HyD.

The HyD would require the continued support of the above directorate posts for planning and implementing new railway projects, and managing major highway projects to support the economic development and population growth in Hong Kong and our growing links with the Mainland.

In addition, the HyD has also employed consultants since December 1994 to carry out Engineer Inspections (EIs) for slopes along these roads to assess the state of maintenance and condition of the slopes or retaining walls, and to ascertain the need for detailed investigation, immediate stability assessment and improvement works.

For street lighting application, HyD has also implemented trial schemes on CDMT lights which current cost is in the order of that of the conventional SON light, so as to compare their performance and payback period with LED lights.

MR ALAN LEONG (in Chinese): President, recently, it has been reported that three "open spaces" sites at Wang Kwong Road and Wang Chiu Road near Richland Gardens (respectively located at its western, northern and north-eastern sides) in Kowloon Bay, have been occupied by the Highways Department (HyD) as temporary work depots for a long time, causing air and noise pollution.

(d) As regards the installation of street name plates, the current practice of the Highways Department (HyD) is to install these name plates at the beginning and end of a public road, and also at the corner of road junctions where feasible and where there are no obstructions.

Their knowledge of telecommunication customer requirements and their product and service offerings are an excellent complement to Hy9's HGS-M(TM) series hydrogen generator in providing a solution to carriers' need for backup power systems other than a diesel generator.

Upon receipt of reports on damaged roads or facilities, the HyD will carry out investigations immediately and complete the repair works of potholes in carriageways and footpaths, as well as traffic signs within 48 hours.

Masayoshi Ito, President of Sankosha Corporation, stated, "Our partnership with Hy9 Corporation creates a strong team in Asia where hydrogen generation systems are quickly becoming the preferred option to on-site hydrogen storage tanks.

Regarding the tendering of the provision of noise barriers, D of Hy said that the Administration had examined the specifications and the standards in relation to the construction materials and design and would specify such information in the tender documents to facilitate participation of interested tenderers.

The Director of Highways (D of Hy), with the support of the Secretary for Transport and Housing, proposes to upgrade 1QR to Category A at an estimated cost of $12,252 million (in June 2009 Net Present Value (NPV) which is equivalent to $12,252 million in money-of-the-day (MOD) prices) to provide the second stage funding support to the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) to cover the design phase expenditure after authorisation of the West Island Line (WIL) project under the Railways Ordinance (Cap. 519) (the Ordinance) and to bridge the funding gap2 to make WIL project financially viable.

In the event that the HyD raises objection to accept the works on the grounds of defects identified, this may constitute a ground for refusal of the application for an occupation permit under section 21(6)(a) of the Buildings Ordinance.

All along, the HyD has established liaison mechanisms at different levels to communicate with utility undertakings and FTNS providers that need to conduct excavation works on public roads frequently, so that these institutions can understand the purpose and operation of the above arrangements, and sufficient communication for individual projects can be ensured.

As regards the on-cost rate, D of Hy explained that the reasons for adopting a provisional figure had been given in paragraph 5 of the supplementary information paper (PWSCI(2008-09)6) provided for the Public Works Subcommittee (PWSC) meeting on 4 June 2008.