Western Harbour Tunnel becomes Hong Kong’s busiest crossing after revamped tolls
Government will build additional lane at the tunnel’s Hong Kong Island exit next year to ease jams
The Western Harbour Tunnel has become Hong Kong’s busiest harbour crossing after authorities implemented time-varying tolls last December, with officials pledging to build an additional lane at one of its exits next year to ease traffic jams.
Secretary for Transport and Logistics Lam Sai-hung said on Wednesday traffic at the three cross-harbour tunnels had evened out since tolls were aligned and fees introduced based on peak and non-peak hours at the end of last year.
“While the traffic flow at the Cross-Harbour Tunnel and Eastern Harbour [Tunnel] have decreased, the traffic flow of the Western Harbour [Tunnel] has increased as a result of the reduction in tolls, which is within the government’s expectation,” he said in response to a question by legislator Shang Hailong.
“The Western Harbour [Tunnel] now has the highest traffic flow among the three road harbour crossings.”
But citing data from the Transport and Logistics Bureau, Shang said the traffic had “obviously shifted” to the Western Harbour Tunnel as the traffic queues during peak hours increased from 0.6km (o. 4 miles) last December to 1.6km in April this year.
This was comparable to the 1.8km line at the Cross Harbour Tunnel, previously the busiest of the three, he added.
Shang said the congestion during morning peak hours at the Western Harbour Tunnel was even more serious than before authorities had introduced the time-differentiated rates.
