Factsheets, Plans and Map, Review Report
Facts on Road P2
What is Road P2?
It is a dual-two lane local road under planning. It will provide access to the Central and Wan Chai reclamation areas.
Road P2 will connect the existing Man Cheung Street on Central Reclamation Phase I (CRI) (between the Airport Railway Station and International Finance Centre Phase 2 (IFC2)) via Central Reclamation Phase III with the proposed Wan Chai Development Phase II area.
Road P2 will be built on land to be formed for the construction of the Central - Wan Chai Bypass (CWB). The construction of Road P2 will not, by itself, require additional reclamation in Central Reclamation Phase III (CRIII) and Wan Chai Development Phase II.
Why is Road P2 needed?
The Road P2 network will form an integral part of the five-phase Central and Wan Chai Reclamations. Central Reclamation Phases I and II have been completed, and Phase III is being carried out. Wan Chai Reclamation Phase I has been completed. Wan Chai Reclamation Phase II is under review.
It is needed to support developments in the completed CRI and CRII sections.
Traffic congestion in the CRI area will result in considerable economic loss and adversely affect the operation of the Airport Railway Station, the IFC and the ferry piers.
What if P2 were not built?
At present, traffic transiting the area north of Exchange Square has to travel along the already congested roads and junctions (e.g. Man Po Street, Man Yiu Street, Man Cheung/Man Yiu Street junction). Traffic eastbound at Connaught Place has to wait for several traffic light cycles before it can join Connaught Road Central (CRC). If this congestion continues to worsen, it will affect seriously the operation of Exchange Square, Hong Kong Island station (Airport Express/Tung Chung Line), IFC, hotel developments, ferry piers and other commercial developments in the area. The gridlock will in turn cause traffic jams on those roads feeding into the area, including Pedder Street and Queen's Road Central.
By 2006, traffic leaving the CRI area via the junction of Connaught Place/CRC is forecast to double its volume as compared to that in 2003 - from 700 to 1,400 vehicles/hour. Critical junctions in the Central Business District such as Connaught Place/CRC, CRC/Pedder Street, Connaught Place/Harbour View Street and Man Yiu Street/Man Cheung Street will be overloaded seriously.
Without the Road P2 network, traffic queues of about 850 metres will form throughout the day along Connaught Place/Man Yiu Street/Man Cheung Street, around the Airport Railway Station and at the IFC.
Traffic congestion will affect adversely the free flow of passengers using outlying island ferry services for their daily commute to and from work.
Traffic in the area will be paralyzed by 2011 if the Road P2 network were not built. Under that scenario, CRC will comprise one long traffic queue, and vehicles from Connaught Place will not be able to exit onto CRC, even when traffic lights are in their favour.
Experts' View
A panel made up of leading local and overseas experts has completed its deliberation on the need for CWB, and in that study also considered the need for Road P2. The panel recognises the need for Road P2 both in the longer term and also as an important and interim measure in addressing traffic congestion in the Central reclamation area before CWB comes about. (For details, please see paragraph 3.3.8 of the expert panel's report at
http://www.harbourfront.org.hk/eng/content_page/doc/report_of_the_expert_panel.pdf)
Environment, Transport and Works Bureau
November 2005