The Transport Bureau (DSAT) announced yesterday that the government will implement traffic improvement measures to tackle traffic congestion, including opening a right-turn lane from the Barrier Gate to Avenida Leste do Hipódromo via Avenida Norte do Hipódromo and removing the right-turn junction from Avenida do Dr Francisco Vieira Machado to Rotunda da Amizade during peak traffic hours.
Transport Bureau (DSAT) Director Kelvin Lam Hin San said during a press conference yesterday after the government-appointed Traffic Consultative Council and Urban Planning Committee’s special meeting on the urban development plan for Zone A land reclamation introducing the progress and schedule of works in Zone A, as well as the government’s short-term traffic optimisation measures.
The Zone A land reclamation area lies off the north-eastern coast of the peninsula.
Lam said that traffic demand in and out of Zone A was increasing due to the adjustment of the city’s customs clearance policy, the ongoing urban development of Zone A, and the implementation of the “Northbound Travel for Macau Vehicles” policy that allows Macau vehicles to travel to the mainland, adding that the peak traffic volume at Rotunda da Amizade has returned to pre-2019 pandemic levels.
Regarding the traffic situation in Zone A, Lam said he believed that the traffic improvement scheme at Rotunda da Amizade can alleviate the traffic congestion problem in the short term.
In particular, Lam underlined, the number of vehicles travelling from Zone A to Rotunda da Amizade has risen to 1,500 per hour and, together with other roads, the total number of vehicles per hour now stands at over 6,500. He also said he expected Rotunda da Amizade (“Friendship Roundabout”) to remain the only link to Zone A until 2025.
Zone A: plans in place, ‘be patient’: Rosário
Addressing recent community concerns about the planning of Zone A, Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raimundo do Rosário emphasised that the government has a plan in place, adding that the situation in the area is “not that bad”. He also said that the government could brief the public on the construction progress in six to nine months’ time “if necessary”.
Public Works Bureau (DSOP) Director Lam Wai Hou, said that there are currently 25 projects underway in Zone A, including 13 buildings and 12 infrastructure projects, with 13 projects currently in the design phase. He described Zone A as a “big and chaotic construction site” with nearly 38 projects commencing at the same time in the next year or two.
Rosário said that the fourth Macau-Taipa bridge project was expected to be completed in the second half of next year, continuing that the number of roads leading from Zone A to the Macau Port (checkpoint) of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge will be increased from one to two at the end of this year and he asked for the public’s patience during this time.
Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raimundo do Rosário (second from right) addresses a press conference after the yesterday’sTraffic Consultative Council and Urban Planning Committee’s joint special meeting while Transport Bureau (DSAT) Director Kelvin Lam Hin San (right), Public Works Bureau (DSOP) Director Lam Wai Hou (second from left) and an other senior official looks on. – Photo: Ginnie Liang
