Tai Lam Tunnel ( Chinese : 大欖隧道 ), running along Tsing Long Highway , is part of Route 3 Country Park Section (R3CPS) and is a transport link between the western New Territories in Ting Kau and Yuen Long .
31-695: Tai Lam Tunnel was constructed to ease traffic congestion at Tuen Mun Road , Tate's Cairn Tunnel , and Castle Peak Road . It was also constructed to link traffic directly from New Territories West to urban areas of Kowloon West and Hong Kong Island , the Hong Kong International Airport , and the Kwai Tsing Container Terminals . Located adjacent to the boundary crossings of Lok Ma Chau and Shenzhen Bay , it connects with Shenzhen and Guangzhou for serving both cross-boundary passenger services and cargo logistics. Tai Lam Tunnel
62-410: A right turn (across oncoming traffic) in one turn). It also allows for diagonal crossings ( pedestrian scramble ) and reduces crossing distances for pedestrians. Intersections generally must manage pedestrian as well as vehicle traffic. Pedestrian aids include crosswalks , pedestrian-directed traffic signals ("walk light") and over/ underpasses . Walk lights may be accompanied by audio signals to aid
93-559: A right turn on red, and sometimes left on red depending on the geometry of the intersection in question, possible in many cases, often without stopping. Cyclists ideally have a protected bike lane on the approach to the intersection, separated by a concrete median with splay kerbs if possible, and have a protected bike lane width of at least 2 metres if possible (one way). In the Netherlands , most one way cycle paths are at least 2.5 metres wide. Bicycle traffic can be accommodated with
124-430: A screw that protruded out of the road surface caused the tyres of about 50 heavy vehicles, of which 36 were KMB buses, to burst. The incident caused a 3-hour traffic jam and a partial closure of the road. Hundreds of passengers were affected but no one was injured in the incident. 22°21′40″N 114°02′13″E / 22.361°N 114.037°E / 22.361; 114.037 Junction (road) A junction
155-415: A setback crossing of the pedestrians and cyclists , generally between 1.5–7 metres of setback, a forward stop bar, which allows cyclists to stop for a traffic light well ahead of motor traffic who must stop behind the crosswalk. Separate signal staging or at least an advance green for cyclists and pedestrians is used to give cyclists and pedestrians no conflicts or a head start over traffic. The design makes
186-509: A valley) to Sham Tseng Interchange , where it interchanges once again with Castle Peak Road. The road then climbs towards Ting Kau Interchange with its widest section (5+3 lanes). After this junction with Tsing Long Highway , the Highway crosses the valley of Ting Kau with various viaducts, with the Tsuen Wan bound carriageway climbing to meet the split level section into Tsuen Wan. This section
217-562: Is a 3.8 km (2.4 mi) dual 3-lane tunnel. The total length of the R3CPS (the tolled area) is 10.1 km (6.3 mi). The tolled area, with two entrances/exits at the south end, Ting Kau Bridge and Tuen Mun Road at Ting Kau, crosses Tai Lam Country Park to its north end at Pat Heung . Located at Pat Heung and about 1 km (0.62 mi) from the north tunnel portal, the toll plaza consists of 22 tollbooths, 16 of which are for manual tolls and 6 are Autotoll lanes. Tai Lam Tunnel
248-432: Is a Build-Operate-Transfer (B.O.T) project with a franchise period of 30 years (including construction period). Its total construction cost was HK$ 7.25 billion. Construction on Tai Lam Tunnel started on 13 March 1995 and was officially opened to traffic on 25 May 1998 to match with the opening of the new Hong Kong International Airport. The designed traffic capacity of Tai Lam Tunnel is 140,000 vehicles per day. In 2011/2012,
279-497: Is a dual 3 lane road through the town centre of Tuen Mun, but this section is not a statutorily designated (limited-access) expressway. Expressway regulations apply from the junction with Wong Chu Road , where it widens to 3 lanes and climbs the hillside beside Sam Shing Hui . It then descends into So Kwun Wat , crossing the rural area on an embankment . The road then rises again before descending into Siu Lam Interchange , where it interchanges with Castle Peak Road. From here,
310-909: Is a four-way interchange on the German autobahn network. Autobahndreieck (literally "autobahn triangle"), short form dreieck , and abbreviated as AD, is a three-way interchange on the German autobahn network. At intersections , roads cross at-grade . They also can be further subdivided into those with and without signal controls. Signalized designs include advanced stop line , bowtie , box junction , continuous-flow intersection , continuous Green-T, double-wide, hook turn , jughandle , median u-turn, Michigan left , paired, quadrant , seagulls , slip lane , split, staggered , superstreet , Texas T , Texas U-turn and turnarounds . Non-signalized designs include unsignalized variations on continuous-flow 3 and 4-leg, median u-turn and superstreet, along with Maryland T/J, roundabout and traffic circle . In
341-435: Is characterised by its tight bends and steep descent eastbound. The two carriageways join as the highway terminates and leads into Cheung Pei Shan Road , with slip roads connecting with Tsuen Wan Road and Castle Peak Road (Tsuen Wan Section) . Tuen Mun Road was one of Hong Kong's first high speed roads, and the first expressway. Its construction proved to be a great challenge for the engineers. The road had to be built along
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#1732847582847372-508: Is where two or more roads meet. Roads began as a means of linking locations of interest: towns , forts and geographic features such as river fords . Where roads met outside of an existing settlement, these junctions often led to a new settlement. Scotch Corner is an example of such a location. In the United Kingdom and other countries, the practice of giving names to junctions emerged, to help travellers find their way. Junctions took
403-638: The diverging diamond , Michigan urban diamond, three-level diamond , and tight diamond. Others include center-turn overpass, contraflow left, single loop, and single-point urban overpass. Non-signalized designs include the cloverleaf , contraflow left, dogbone (restricted dumbbell), double crossover merging , dumbbell (grade-separated bowtie), echelon, free-flow interchange , partial cloverleaf , raindrop , single and double roundabouts (grade-separated roundabout ), single-point urban , stack , and windmill . Autobahnkreuz (literally "autobahn cross"), short form kreuz , and abbreviated as AK,
434-640: The EU it is estimated that around 5,000 out of 26,100 people who are killed in car crashes are killed in a junction collision, in 2015, while it was around 8,000 in 2006. During the 2006–2015 decade, this means around 20% of road fatalities occur at junctions. By kind of users junctions fatalities are car users, 34%; pedestrians, 23%; motorcycle, 21%; pedal-cycle 12%; and other road users, the remaining. It has been considered that several causes might lead to fatalities; for instance: A number of features make this protected intersection much safer . A corner refuge island,
465-581: The average daily traffic was over 54,000 vehicles. According to the statistics from the Transport Department of the Government of Hong Kong , Tai Lam Tunnel has higher-than-average safety records. In 2011, the accident rate per million vehicle-km was just 0.07. The tunnel is well known for its high tolls similar to the Western Harbour Crossing . Its toll for private cars is HK$ 55, making it
496-438: The construction period. As to conservation of wildlife, there is a small tunnel constructed at the south portal of Tai Lam Tunnel, mainly for small wild animals in this area to commute in the valley freely, allowing them to maintain their habituation. To keep in pace with technology development, Tai Lam Tunnel has gradually replaced traditional light bulbs with light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The indicator lighting signals inside
527-403: The driver) and 20 injured. Rescue operations were described as being the most challenging encountered by the fire services since the fire at Garley Building . This was due to the constraints at the site (a rural village sited on a steep hillside with no direct road access), and the sheer volume of severely wounded casualties. The bus was later lifted back onto Tuen Mun Road and transported to
558-481: The highway crosses the mouth of Tai Lam Chung , and starts climbing the hillsides of Tai Lam through split level terraces (the lower one being the Tuen Mun bound carriageway). The two carriageways join before bypassing the village of Tsing Lung Tau to the north. This section of road is constructed upon various deep cuttings and high embankments. Afterwards, the road crosses over the village of Sham Tseng (situated in
589-829: The installation of noise barriers. These works commenced in October 2008 and completed at the end of 2015. Tuen Mun Road remains one of the most heavily used roads in Hong Kong, as some drivers heading to Yuen Long shunpike Tai Lam Tunnel , and container trucks use it to access the River Trade Terminal in Tuen Mun. To enhance the convenience of communicators travelling from New Territories to Kowloon or Hong Kong Island, Tuen Mun Road Bus-Bus Interchange had been under construction since 15 July 2010. The interchange on Kowloon bound side and that on Tuen Mun bound side were commissioned on 26 December 2012 and 27 July 2013 respectively. In
620-596: The low grade bike lanes in the roadway or higher grade and much safer protected bicycle paths that are physically separated from the roadway. In Manchester, UK, traffic engineers have designed a protected junction known as the Cycle-Optimised Signal (CYCLOPS) Junction. This design places a circulatory cycle track around the edge of the junction, with pedestrian crossing on the inside. This design allows for an all-red pedestrian / cyclist phase with reduced conflicts. Traffic signals are timed to allow cyclists to make
651-522: The morning of 10 July 2003, a Neoplan Centroliner bus was running on route 265M of Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB) towards Tin Shui Wai , Yuen Long . A lorry running in the middle lane lost control as the bus approached the junction with Tsing Long Highway . The two vehicles collided, knocking the bus towards the side of the viaduct. The bus broke through the parapet , and plunged into Ting Kau Village 35 metres (115 ft) below, resulting in 21 deaths (including
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#1732847582847682-459: The name of a prominent nearby business or a point of interest. As of the road networks increased in density and traffic flows followed suit, managing the flow of traffic across the junction became of increasing importance, to minimize delays and improve safety. The first innovation was to add traffic control devices, such as stop signs and traffic lights that regulated traffic flow. Next came lane controls that limited what each lane of traffic
713-427: The road was opened, there have been various improvements carried out to meet the increasing traffic demand, such as the addition of uphill crawler lanes (Tsuen Wan Bound) at Sam Shing Hui , So Kwun Wat , Tai Lam Chung and Ting Kau . The Highways Department has plans to carry out extensive reconstruction works on Tuen Mun Road that will include widening traffic lanes, improving horizontal curvatures and sightlines, and
744-483: The second most expensive tunnel in Hong Kong; the most expensive is the Western Harbour Crossing at HK$ 60. For coaches, it is the highest in the city, about 4 times higher than the longer Tate's Cairn Tunnel. The tunnel company performed compensatory tree planting at a rate of three replacement saplings for each tree felled. In total, 250,000 trees, 150,000 shrubs and 60,000 climbing plants were planted during
775-413: The time, it was the most serious road accident in Hong Kong history. He later appealed the rulings, which were subsequently overturned. Tests have shown that the vehicle he was driving was defective (tending to veer to the side when braking), and he was then found guilty of a lesser charge, careless driving, and his sentence was shortened to five months and a two-year driving ban. On 1 December 2013,
806-525: The tunnel tubes and at the toll plaza as well as the illuminating system in the administration building have thus been replaced for reducing carbon emission. Tuen Mun Road Tuen Mun Road is a major expressway in Hong Kong which connects Tuen Mun with Tsuen Wan , within the New Territories . It is part of Hong Kong's Route 9 , which circumnavigates the New Territories. Opened in 1978, it
837-444: The vehicle compound at Siu Ho Wan . It was however written off . After the incident, then- Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa visited the crash scene and pledged that the government would do all that it could to aid the survivors, to investigate the accident and prevent similar accidents from ever happening again. The lorry driver was sentenced to 18 months in jail after being found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving . At
868-412: The winding coastline , and the steep terrain encountered required the construction of numerous viaducts , culverts and cuttings. To save construction costs, the road was built with narrow carriageways and substandard geometry , causing frequent traffic accidents and subsequent congestion for a long period, and as a result speed limits reduced to 70–80 km/h (45–50 mph). Another such measure
899-982: Was allowed to do while crossing. Turns across oncoming traffic might be prohibited, or allowed only when oncoming and crossing traffic was stopped. This was followed by specialized junction designs that incorporated information about traffic volumes, speeds, driver intent and many other factors. The most basic distinction among junction types is whether or not the roads cross at the same or different elevations . More expensive, grade-separated interchanges generally offer higher throughput at higher cost. Single-grade intersections are lower cost and lower throughput. Each main type comes in many variants. At interchanges , roads pass above or below each other, using grade separation and slip roads . The terms motorway junction and highway interchange typically refer to this layout. They can be further subdivided into those with and without signal controls. Signalized ( traffic-light controlled) interchanges include such " diamond " designs as
930-492: Was once the major trunk route linking the northwest New Territories to urban Kowloon and is known for its frequent traffic jams and road accidents owing to its early design and heavy usage. As a result, speed limits have been enforced to 70–80 km/h (45–50 mph) due to geometric constraints. The highway leads off Yuen Long Highway at Lam Tei Interchange , where it also interchanges with Castle Peak Road and Tsing Lun Road . The next section (considered from west to east)
961-462: Was putting the construction work into phases. Phase 1 of the road was built in 1977, being the present day Tsuen Wan bound carriageway. This section was officially opened on 5 May 1978 by Governor Murray MacLehose . Phase 2, which consists of the Tuen Mun bound carriageway between Sham Tseng and Tsuen Wan , was opened in 1981; the remaining Tuen Mun Bound carriageway was completed in 1983. Since