Design and Construction of Central – Wan Chai Bypass and Island Eastern Corridor Link EIA Executive Summary TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................1 1.1 Project Background .................................................................................................................1 1.2 Objectives of the EIA Study....................................................................................................1 1.3 Consideration of Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance ............................................2 2 PROJECT DESCRIPTION..................................................................................................3 2.1 Project Location.......................................................................................................................3 2.2 Project Requirements, Scope and Benefits..............................................................................3 2.3 Works Programme...................................................................................................................4 2.4 Concurrent Projects.................................................................................................................4 2.5 Interrelationship between the CWB & IECL, CRIII and WDII Projects ................................4 3 SUMMARY OF THE EIA....................................................................................................5 3.1 Introduction..............................................................................................................................5 3.2 Air Quality Impact...................................................................................................................5 3.3 Noise Impact............................................................................................................................7 3.4 Water Quality Impact ..............................................................................................................8 3.5 Construction Waste Management and Disposal ......................................................................9 3.6 Landscape and Visual Impact..................................................................................................9 3.7 Environmental Monitoring and Audit (EM&A)....................................................................11 3.8 Environmental Benefits, Designs, Key Protection Measures and Enhancements.................11 4 OVERALL CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................11 List of Tables Table 2.1 Projects that may be Undertaken Simultaneously with the CWB & IECL Project List of Figures Figure 2.1 Location and Alignment of CWB & IECL Figure 2.2 Project Relationship Key Plan (Sheet 1 of 3) Figure 2.3 Project Relationship Key Plan (Sheet 2 of 3) Figure 2.4 Project Relationship Key Plan (Sheet 3 of 3) Figure 2.5 The Overall Construction Programme of the CRII,WDII and CWB & IECL Project Figure 3.1 Locations of Key Sensitive Receivers for Air and Noise Figure 3.2 Locations of Noise Mitigation Measures (Sheet 1 of 2) Figure 3.3 Locations of Noise Mitigation Measures (Sheet 2 of 2) Maunsell i Design and Construction of Central – Wan Chai Bypass and Island Eastern Corridor Link EIA Executive Summary 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Project Background 1.1.1 Maunsell Consultants Asia Ltd. were appointed by Highways Department in July 1995 to undertake the Design and Construction of the Central – Wan Chai Bypass and Island Eastern Corridor Link (CWB & IECL) under Agreement No. CE 5/95. The Consultants have completed the Review Phase of the CWB & IECL Project (hereafter called the ‘Project’) and submitted a Design Review Report in October 1996. 1.1.2 Subsequent to the Design Review in 1996, the following changes have occurred: • the form (including land use, road layout and extent of the reclamation) and the programme of the Central and Wan Chai Reclamation projects have been revised; • the alignment for the CWB & IECL has been revised in accordance with the latest recommended layout for Central Reclamation Phase III (CRIII) and the findings of the Trunk Road Options (TRO) Study in Wan Chai Development Phase II (WDII); • the revised programmes of the Central and Wan Chai Development projects lead to a delayed completion date of the Project and a revision to the previously assumed worst case scenario traffic flows for the EIA study; and • the enactment of the EIAO requires the EIA to be carried out in accordance with the Technical Memorandum on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIAO-TM) (September 1997), which necessitates the remodelling and reassessment of air quality and noise and in particular requires a more detailed visual and landscape assessment of the Project. 1.1.3 In order to take account of the changes in the Central and Wan Chai Reclamation works, the operation of the EIAO, the changes in the alignment of the tunnel and other constraints imposed by the CRIII project, the findings of the WDII Trunk Road Options Study and the dual 3-lane CWB tunnel, Highways Department has commissioned Maunsell Consultants Asia Limited to update and review the design of the CWB & IECL. 1.1.4 With respect to the above, the alignment and layout of the whole of the CWB & IECL have been reviewed. The revised alignment and layout were circulated under the WDII study (section from the eastern limit of the CRIII area to the Island Eastern Corridor) and the CWB Project Review Study (section from Central up to the eastern limit of the CRIII area) in mid-April and end of May 2000, respectively. 1.2 Objectives of the EIA Study 1.2.1 The EIA Report has been prepared to comply with the requirements of the EIAO. The objectives of the EIA are: • to describe the Project and associated works together with the requirements for carrying out the Project; • to identify and describe the elements of the community and environment likely to be affected by the Project, and/ or likely to cause adverse impacts upon the Project, Maunsell 1 Design and Construction of Central – Wan Chai Bypass and Island Eastern Corridor Link EIA Executive Summary including both the natural and man-made environment; • to identify and quantify emission sources and determine the severity of impacts on sensitive receivers and potential affected uses; • to identify and quantify any environmental impacts associated with the Project and recommend appropriate mitigation measures; • to identify existing landscape and visual quality in the Study Area so as to evaluate the landscape and visual impacts of the Project; • to propose mitigation measures to minimise pollution, environmental disturbance and nuisance during construction and operation of the Project; • to identify, predict and evaluate the residual (that is, after practicable mitigation) environmental impacts and cumulative effects expected to arise during the construction and operation phases of the Project in relation to the sensitive receivers and potential affected uses; • to identify, assess and specify methods, measures and standards, to be included in the detailed design, construction and operation of the Project which are necessary to mitigate these impacts and reduce them to allowable levels within established standards / guidelines; • to identify and justify the need for environmental monitoring and audit and to define the scope of the requirements necessary to ensure the implementation and the effectiveness of the environmental protection and pollution control measures adopted; • to investigate the extent of side-effects of proposed mitigation measures that may lead to other forms of impact; • to identify constraints associated with the mitigation measures recommended in this EIA; and • to identify any additional studies necessary to fulfil the objectives to the requirements of this EIA Study. 1.3 Consideration of Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance 1.3.1 The proposed CWB & IECL is a trunk road project that is considered as a Designated Project under Schedule 2 “Designated Projects Requiring Environmental Permits”, Part I, A.1. No other DPs are involved under the Project. An Environmental Permit (EP) is required for the construction and operation of the Project. 2 Maunsell Design and Construction of Central – Wan Chai Bypass and Island Eastern Corridor Link EIA Executive Summary 2 PROJECT DESCRIPTION 2.1 Project Location 2.1.1 The proposed CWB & IECL is a trunk road that connects Rumsey Street Flyover Extension (Route 7) in Central and Island Eastern Corridor (IEC) (Route 8) in Causeway Bay to form an east-west strategic route along the Central and Wan Chai Reclamation (Figure 2.1). 2.2 Project Requirements, Scope and Benefits Requirements and Benefits of the Trunk Road 2.2.1 The CWB and IECL were planned under the Central and Wanchai Reclamation Feasibility Study (1989). The proposed trunk road has the following requirements and benefits: • to relieve the existing main east-west route (that is, Connaught Road – Harcourt Road – Gloucester Road) on the north shore; • to provide access to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) Area and neighbouring areas being developed as part of the reclamation schemes; and • to serve the additional traffic to be generated by the developments on the Central and Wan Chai Reclamation. Scope of the CWB & IECL 2.2.2 The scope of the CWB includes: • an interchange (the Central Interchange) with slip roads to the distributor road system on the