The government said yesterday that its skywalk project along Avenida do Nordeste (東北大馬路) in the peninsula’s Areia Preta district, which got off the ground last week, is scheduled to be fully completed in June 2027.
The government also reaffirmed yesterday that various special measures will be implemented aiming to alleviate the adverse impact of the project’s duration on the traffic in the area.
The Northern District Community Service Consultative Council held a regular meeting yesterday where officials from the Public Works Bureau (DSOP) and the Transport Bureau (DSAT) briefed its members about the Avenida do Nordeste skywalk project and the government’s various traffic measures to be implemented during the project’s execution.
Running along almost the entire length of Avenida do Nordeste, the 600-metre-long skywalk will run between Avenida de Venceslau de Morais (慕拉士大馬路) and Rua Central da Areia Preta (黑沙環中街).
On the side in Avenida de Venceslau de Morais, the skywalk will be linked to the podium area of the Mong Son social rental housing estate, while on the other side near Rua Central da Areia Preta, the skywalk will be linked to the podium area of the government’s high-rise rental residential building for senior citizens on Plot P, with other access points outside the Polytec Garden (保利達花園) and La Baie Du Noble (海名居) private residential estates.
Briefing reporters after yesterday’s closed-door meeting, Fu U On, a member of the government-appointed council, noted that there will be a total of 13 access points to the skywalk.
No escalators at 2 access points
Fu quoted the officials as saying that two access points to the skywalk will not be equipped with an escalator, namely one outside the Hoi Pan Garden (海濱花園) residential estate and one outside the Kam Hoi San Garden (金海山花園) residential estate, while all other access points will be equipped with escalators, lifts and staircases.
Fu quoted the officials as saying that there will not be enough space at the two access points, with both a lift and a staircase, to have an escalator.
According to Fu, the officials also underlined during the meeting that the skywalk project’s work will be carried out in different phases and by different sections along the avenue with the aim of reducing the adverse impact of the project’s execution on the traffic in the area.
Moreover, the officials also said that the government will hire a third-party institution to closely monitor the air quality as well as the levels of noise and wastewater generated during the project’s execution.
Fu also quoted the officials as saying that with the skywalk project’s various works to move forward, some street parking spaces for motorcycles in the neighbourhood will be suspended in phases during the project’s execution, but no alternative parking spaces will be temporarily set up in the vicinity because there is a sufficient number of motorcycle parking spaces in carparks in the area.
The skywalk project was initially slated to get off the ground in the second quarter of last year and be completed in early 2027, but due to postponements it finally got off the ground last week.
According to Fu, the officials said during yesterday’s meeting that the project is now scheduled to be fully completed in June 2027.
Chan Ian Ian, a deputy convenor of the council, told reporters that QR codes will be set up at different locations at the construction site for residents to scan to submit their opinions and suggestions concerning the execution of the skywalk project. According to Chan, the officials pledged during the meeting that the government will reply to the submitted opinions and follow up accordingly as soon as possible.
Northern District Community Service Consultative Council Deputy Convener Chan Ian Ian (right) and member Fu U On look on during yesterday’s press briefing after the government-appointed council’s closed-door meeting at the Government Services Centre in Areia Preta district. – Photo: Tony Wong
Vehicles turn into Avenida de Venceslau de Morais from Avenida do Nordeste, where construction of a skywalk started, on Wednesday. – Photo: Tony Wong
