Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raimundo do Rosário reaffirmed yesterday that the government will continue to roll out special short-term measures with the aim of tackling the vehicular traffic problem between the peninsula and the Macau checkpoint of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB) via the Zone A land reclamation area, before the completion of additional vehicular traffic links between the peninsula and Zone A a few years later.
Rosário made the remarks when replying to oral interpellations by several lawmakers during a plenary session in the legislature’s hemicycle.
The policy secretary underlined that with various short-term measures to start in the near future, the traffic situation in the area would gradually improve.
Rosário’s remarks yesterday came after Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng told lawmakers in a Q&A session last week that the government will ensure that massive traffic congestion similar to the one that affected the area on April 5, i.e., during Ching Ming Festival, will not occur there again. Ho apologised during the Q&A session for the massive traffic jam.
Currently, Zone A is only connected to the peninsula at the busy Oriental Pearl roundabout (Rotunda da Amizade), on the peninsula’s north-eastern coast. Vehicles have to enter Zone A first before travelling to the man-made island where the HZMB Macau and Zhuhai border checkpoints are located, situated east of the 1.38-square-kilometre Zone A.
Since the HZMB opening in October 2018, Zone A had been connected to the peninsula by one link (a section of Avenida Doutor Ma Man Kei) only, at the Oriental Pearl roundabout. A one-way flyover running from the peninsula to Zone A by crossing over the Oriental Pearl roundabout came into operation in November last year.
The government plans to have a total of four vehicular links between Zone A and the peninsula, namely A1, A2, A3, and AB.
The A1 Link refers to the current vehicular connection between Zone A and the Oriental Pearl roundabout, while the A2 Link refers to a two-way flyover that will connect Zone A and an area near the Macau Peninsula Wastewater Treatment Plant. The A2 flyover project, which got off the ground in November last year, is scheduled to be completed in October next year.
The planned A3 Link refers to a flyover that will connect Zone A and near the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal, while the planned AB Link will connect Zone A and an area near the Macau Science Centre (MSC) in Nape. The government is still designing the A3 Link and AB Link.
Moreover, the ongoing project of building the fourth Macau-Taipa Bridge that will connect the Zone A and Zone E1 land reclamation areas is slated to be completed in the first quarter of next year.
The government has said that the current traffic volume at the Oriental Pearl roundabout has returned to the level recorded in the pre-pandemic year of 2019.
In addition, the traffic volume at the Oriental Pearl roundabout has also been raised by the implementation of the “Northbound Travel for Macau Vehicles” policy that allows Macau cars to travel to the mainland. The policy, which got off the ground early this year, is currently only implemented at the HZMB Macau-Zhuhai checkpoint.
During last week’s Q&A session, Ho said that the “Northbound Travel for Macau Vehicles” policy got off the ground around one year earlier than originally scheduled. According to Ho, this situation has been beyond the local government’s original expectation, as the projects of new vehicular links to Zone A have still not been completed.
During yesterday’s plenary session, Rosário also said that the government expects to start construction of a one-way flyover running from Zone A to the peninsula at the Oriental Pearl roundabout later this year.
Rosário also said that the government is currently carrying out a project to widen the current and only vehicular link connecting Zone A and the HZMB man-made island. He said that the road-widening project is expected to be completed by early next month.
Rosário also underlined that the current traffic situation around the Oriental Pearl roundabout “is not that bad”.
