To tie in with the construction of a future rainwater pumping station in the southern area of the peninsula’s Inner Harbour district, vehicular traffic will be “restricted” in Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro towards Rua das Lorchas from Sunday through April 16.
A joint press conference concerning the temporary traffic measure was held by the Transport Bureau (DSAT) and Public Works Bureau (DSOP) at the DSAT headquarters on Estrada de D. Maria II yesterday afternoon.
During the 10-day traffic curbs, according to DSOP Infrastructure Projects Division Chief Wong Kuok Heng and DSAT Coordination Division Acting Chief Cheng Hoi Kin, with the assistance of traffic police officers, limited access for vehicular traffic will be implemented daily from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. during which the thoroughfare’s traffic signal configurations will be adjusted according to real-time conditions.
In conjunction with the “Inner Harbour South Rainwater Pumping Station” construction project, underground work will be carried out on the section of Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro (commonly known as San Ma Lou in Cantonese) near Rua do Guimarães, blocking part of the left hand lane, Wong said, adding that in order to minimise the impact and to shorten the time it takes to carry out the work, it has been decided to adopt the underground excavation method, i.e., avoid digging up the road and resurfacing it.
“The longer the construction period, the greater the impact on vehicular traffic,” Wong said, adding that during the 10-day project, water-filled barriers will be used to enclose the width of the construction section of the road by about one metre, preventing motorists from driving or riding over the underground excavation area.
One end of the drainpipe will be connected to the existing manhole at the junction of San Ma Lou and Rua do Guimarães, while the other end will be connected to the newly constructed box-culvert at the downstream end of Rua das Lorchas so that the stormwater flowing from San Ma Lou to the northern Inner Harbour district can be diverted to the drainage system in the southern Inner Harbour district, according to Wong, who pointed out that completion of the pumping station project, which is one of the government’s major disaster prevention projects, is of great urgency, has now entered its peak construction stage.
The project, comprising the construction of a sewer pumping station near Praça de Ponte e Horta (known in Cantonese as Si Ta Hau – “City Entrance”), as well as the installation of box-culverts and new rainwater drains and sewer pipes between the new rainwater pumping station near the Riviera Macau residential building, and the junction of Rua das Lorchas and Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro, got off the ground in April last year and is slated to be completed in June next year.
Considering that the affected road section is a major traffic artery in Macau, the government, Cheng underlined, has prepared a contingency plan for the commencement of the construction project, in which, if necessary, the construction will be suspended and the roadway will be temporarily fully opened to vehicular traffic, while also implementing temporary traffic control measures from San Ma Lou to Rua das Lorchas, depending on the situation.
Moreover, considering the possibility that the traffic conditions there would turn out to be complicated during the construction period, Cheng urged motorists and pedestrians to pass through the area in a safe manner, or take alternative routes during the construction period.
Public Works Bureau (DSOP) Infrastructure Projects Division Chief Wong Kuok Heng (left) and Transport Bureau (DSAT) Coordination Division Acting Chief Cheng Hoi Kin pose during yesterday’s press conference concerning temporary traffic curbs in cooperation with the “Inner Harbour South Rainwater Pumping Station” construction project, at the DSAT headquarters on Estrada de D. Maria II.
This photo taken yesterday shows vehicles in Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro (commonly known as San Ma Lou in Cantonese), where vehicular traffic control measures will be in place from Sunday through April 17. – Photos: Yuki Lei
