RESTRICTED (ADMINISTRATION) PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMME ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT REPORT FOR HIGHWAY BETWEEN SHAP PAT HEUNG INTERCHANGE AND POK 01 INTERCHANGE - POK 01 FLYOVER AND REMAINING WORKS I l 7:$1r".rfsc,. 11lghwaysINew Territories Region Binnie Consultants Limited Highways Department Hong Kong April 1997 . _. = Highway between Shap Pat Heung Interchange 00881B041EIAlIssue 1 and Pok Oi Interchange - Pok Oi Flyover & Remaining Works ElA Report CONTENTS Page I INTRODUCTION I-I Project Background I-I Preliminary Project Feasibility Study 1-3 Purpose of EIA Report 1-4 Structure of EIA Report 1-5 2 PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND EIA STUDY OBJECTIVES 2-1 [ Introduction 2-1 Project Components 2-1 [ PlanninglImplementation Programme 2-2 Development Planning Objectives 2-3 Purpose of EIA Study 2-4 [ Objectives of EIA Study 2-4 [ 3 ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION AND PLANNING GUIDELINES 3-1 [ Introduction 3-1 Noise 3-1 Air Quality 3-8 [: Water Quality 3-10 Solid Waste 3-15 [ 4 EXISTING ENVIRONMENT, SENSITIVE RECEIVERS l AND ECOLOGY 4-1 Introduction 4-1 Sensitive UseslReceivers 4-1 L Concurrent Projects 4-3 Ecology 4-4 [ -- Name Signature Date L Prepared R. V. Coverley {!~r,;q~ ~~ 4--q-::r Checked R.C. Deacon r--~lJ" ~ ZS.4. cc.1- [ ~~ Reviewed L.S. Lam ~ 2 8-+1 Ap.o:.l 'n. ,Y [~ April 1997 [reporllylsb3734] BINNIE r [ Highway between Shap Pat Heung Interchange 00881B041ElAIIssue 1 and Pok Oi Interchange - Pok Oi- Flyover & Remaining Works ElA Report [ CONTENTS [ (cont'd) Page [ 5 NOISE I.MPACT ASSESSMENT 5-1 [ Introduction 5-1 Standards for Traffic Noise Assessment 5-1 [ Noise Environment 5-2 Noise - Operational Phase Assessment 5-7 Assessment Methodology 5-9 [ Assessment Results 5-12 Noise Barrier Selection - Discussion 5-28 Summary 5-31 [ 6 AIR QUALITY I.MPACT ASSESSMENT 6-1 [ Introduction 6-1 Air Quality Environment 6-1 [ Air Quality - Operational Phase Assessment 6-3 Assessment Methodology 6-4 Assessment· Results 6-5 [ Summary 6-11 7 CONSTRUCTION I.MPACTS 7-1 [ Introduction 7-1 Construction Noise 7-1 [ Air Quality 7-13 Water Quality 7-20 [ Solid Waste 7-22 Traffic 7-23 Environmental Monitoring and Auditing 7-23 [ 8 SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS 8-1 [ Introduction 8-1 Traffic Noise 8-1 Traffic Emissions 8-2 [ Ecology 8-2 Construction Impacts 8-2 [ Conclusion 8-3 END OF TEXT 8-3 [ April 1997 {reportlylsbJ7J.1J ii BINNIE [ r I[ Highway between Shap Pat Heung Interchange 00881B041EIAlIssue 1 o and Pok Oi Interchange - Pok Oi Flyover & Remaining Works EIA Report [ 1 INTRODUCTION [ Project Background C Existing Road Network 1.1 The rapid growth of the towns in the New Territories and the closer ties with the mainland China since 1970 have given rise to a pressing need for improving o roads in the New Territories. Since 1980, the following trunk roads which form c Routes I and 2 have been commissioned: (i) New Territories Circular Road (NTCR) which includes Tolo Highway between Sha Tin and Tai Po, and the trunk road from Tai Po to Au Tau c via Fanling, Sheung Shui, Mai Po and Fairview Park. (ii) Lok Ma Chau Border Link with its southern end connected to the NTCR c near San Tin Village. [ (iii) Tuen Mun-Yuen Long Eastern Corridor (Yuen Long Highway) from Tuen Mun to Long Tin Road in Yuen Long. [ (iv) Yuen Long Southern Bypass (ie. part of Yuen Long Highway) which is to connect Castle Peak Road in the east at the Pok Oi Interchange to Yuen [ Long Eastern Corridor in the west. To date, only the section of Yuen Long Highway from its western junction with Tuen Mun Highway to the Shap Pat Heung Interchange has been completed. The Shap Pat Heung [ Interchange is currently connected to the Pok Oi Interchange by two district distributor roads, DR-I and DR-2. [ Figure 1.1 shows the layout of these trunk roads in the North West New [ Territories. Traffic Congestion [ 1.2 The commission of the completed section of Yuen Long Highway in November 1994 has enabled the trunk road traffic between Tuen Mun and San Tin Village [ to avoid the busy section of Castle Peak Road in Yuen Long Town. However, rapid growth of traffic volume in recent years and the rapid flow of traffic on the new highways in the North West New Territories have rendered the capacity of L . the old Au Tau Roundabout at the junction of Castle Peak Road and Kam Tin Road insufficient. P' L l April 1997 [reportlylsb3734j 1-1 BINNIE r- Highway between Shap Pat Heung Interchange 00881B04IEIAlIssue 1 and Pok Oi Interchange - Pok Oi Flyover & Remaining Works EfA Report [ 1.3 This 'bottleneck' has led to traffic congestion along Route 2 (the NTCR and [ Yuen Long Highway). In an effort to mitigate the situation, local widening along Castle Peak Road at approaches to the old roundabout and a temporary single [ lane Yuen Long-bound flyover were implemented in August 1996. 1.4 The Route 3 Country Park Section (CPS), including its links with the Pok Oi c Interchange by two slip roads on the northern side of the Interchange, has been scheduled for commission in July 1998. Figure 1.2 shows the general layout of the roadworks to be constructed by the Route 3 Franchisee, Route 3 (CPS) Co. Ltd., at the Pok Oi Interchange. [ 1.5 Originally, the construction of the Yuen Long Highway (ie. 'the Highway') between Shap Pat Heung Interchange and Pok Oi Interchange was scheduled to start in early 1999 for completion in late 2001. However, with Route 3 CPS [ commissioned in mid 1998, this would mean that all the south-bound traffic heading for Yuen Long and Tuen Mun, and all the traffic along Yuen Long [ Highway heading for Route 3 CPS would have to pass through the existing roundabout at grade at the Pok Oi Interchange. This would inevitably lead to serious traffic congestion and major delays on the roads leading to the [ roundabout. I 1.6 The configuration of the Pok Oi Interchange is currently imposing a constraint [ to the achievement of Housing Branch's targets for housing in the Yuen Long area. This is because the approval of several major housing/residential [ developments in Yuen Long Town depends largely on whether the interchange is able to absorb additional traffic generated from these developments. [ 1.7 In view of the imminent completion of Route 3 CPS, the pressing housing demand and the projected undercapacity of the existing Pok Oi Interchange, Housing Branch, Transport Department and Highways Department have [ recognised the urgent need to complete part of the remaining section of Yuen Long Highway (ie. 'tlie Highway'}between -Snap PatIfeung InterchangeandPok [ Oi Interchange (see Figure 1.3). u This is confirmed by recent traffic studies which indicate that the Design to Flow Capacity of Pok [0, Oi Roundabout would increase to 2.37 in 2001. -- April 1997 [reportlJllsb3734] 1-2 BINNIE [: Highway between Shap Pat Heung Interchange 00881B04IElAIIssue 1 u and Pok Oi Interchange - Pok Oi Flyover & Remaining Works EfA Report [ 1.8 The part of the programme that Housing Branch, Transport Department and Highways Department are considering advancing is the construction of a flyover c over the existing roundabout at Pok Oi Interchange to provide a direct link between Route 3 CPS and the Yuen Long Highway. Implementation of the Pok Oi Flyover project is the most practicable means available to facilitate the free o flow of traffic in the area. 1.9 The purpose of this report is to provide information about the potential o environmental impacts of the proposed Pok Oi Flyover project and the Remaining Works project, which together comprise the works required to complete the Yuen o Long Highway between Shap Pat Heung Interchange and Pok Oi Interchange. c Preliminary Project Feasibility Study 1.10 Binnie Consultants Ltd was commissioned in December 1996 to carry out a Preliminary Project Feasibility Study (PPFS) for early implementation of the Pok c Oi Flyover Project. BCL was commissioned at the same time to carry out a PPFS for the remaining section of the Highway between Shap Pat Heung [ Interchange and Pok Oi Interchange (ie. the Remaining Works project). 2 [ 1.11 As indicated in the Preliminary Environmental Review Reports , the scale of the potential environmental impacts, particularly construction-related impacts, are [ expected to be minor. 1.12 Section 9 (Page 10 of the Pok Oi Flyover PPFS report and Page 15 of the Remaining Works PPFS report) is a page long Environmental Review summarising the results of preliminary investigations into the environmental impacts of the projects. [ 1.13 The section summarised the key findings of the review'as follows: [ "Noise impact During both construction and operation stage, the proposed jlyover will give rise to noise impact on nearby noise sensitive receivers and forther noise assessment is required to address the [ problems and to devise necessary mitigation measures to comply [ Preliminary Project Feasibility Study (PPFS) Report (Final) for Highway between Shap Pat Heung Interchange and Pok Oi Interchange - Pok Oi Flyover (December 1996) Binnie Consultants Ltd for Highways Department; (PPFS) Report (Final) for Highway between Shap Pat Heung Interchange and Pok Oi Interchange - Remaining Works (February 1997) Binnie Consultants Ltd for Highways Department L April 1997 [repor/ly/sb3734] 1-3 BINNIE [ Highway between Shap Pat Heung Interchange 00881B041EIAlIssue 1 and Pok Oi Interchange - Pok OJ Flyover & Remaining Works EIA Report c with Hong Kong Planning Standards & Guidelines (HKPSG) [ requirements. Air impact [ Vehicular emissions will affect nearby air sensitive receivers and fUrther study is required to identifY affected areas and to formulate c constraints for fUture developments in the areas. The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) 's standard dust c suppression measures should be implemented through relevant contract to avoid dust nuisance arising from construction activities.