Hong Kong transport authorities withdraw HK$7.16 billion funding request for Trunk Road T4 day before Legco debate

Transport and Logistics Bureau says it ‘will further enrich the discussion documents … to facilitate the Finance Committee’s deliberation on the relevant project’

Lawmakers move on from lightning-fast Article 23 law review to focus on improving residents’ livelihoods and local economic situation amid calls to action from John Lee

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An illustration of the connection points for the Shing Sun Tunnel Road and Tsing Sha Highway to the Trunk Road T4. Photo: Handout

Published: 3:31pm, 22 Mar 2024Updated: 10:56pm, 22 Mar 2024

Transport authorities in Hong Kong abruptly withdrew a HK$7.16 billion (US$915 million) funding request for a proposed trunk road in Sha Tin a day before it was to be discussed in the legislature on Friday, citing a need to provide lawmakers with more information.

Legislators raised concerns over the significant rise in construction costs and the lack of a concrete timetable for the project. Authorities reportedly expected more votes against the proposal or abstentions at the Legislative Council’s Finance Committee meeting than it initially thought.

“The Transport and Logistics Bureau will further enrich the discussion documents by delaying the proposal discussion, in addition to the information we have provided earlier upon the request of the public works subcommittee, to facilitate the Finance Committee’s deliberation on the relevant project,” a bureau spokesman said.

The bureau had sought funding to build Trunk Road T4, which will directly connect Sha Tin with Ma On Shan, Tsuen Wan and Kowloon East to relieve congestion inside Sha Tin district. The latest cost estimate was more than six times the original one of HK$1.1 billion made back in 2006.

Legco underwent a “patriots-only” overhaul in 2021, prompting concerns at the time that authorities could attempt to bulldoze bills through the legislature.

The performance of lawmakers also came under the spotlight in 2023 after a report found at least two-thirds of bills were passed in the previous year with under half of all legislators present, falling short of the 45-member quorum requirement.

The application withdrawal on Thursday coincided with a meeting between Beijing’s top official overseeing Hong Kong affairs, Xia Baolong, and city leader John Lee Ka-chiu. Lee pledged to direct Hong Kong’s “full attention” to developing a “vibrant economy and a caring community” after the passage of the domestic national security law.

The project involves the construction of two dual-lane trunk roads, spanning 2.3km (1.4 miles), widening existing roads and building elevated foot and cycling paths.