Abstract:
Since early 1990s Hong Kong has set into motion ten major Airport Core Programme Projects under the Port and Airport Development Strategy. These integrated infrastructure projects, which were planned for completion in 1997, are comprised of a replacement airport on an island, 1669 hectares of reclaimed land, a new harbor crossing and land tunnels, new towns, a 34-km airport railway and over 30 km of expressways, and the world's longest road/rail suspension bridge. The scale, scope, and speed of these construction projects are probably the greatest in the world to date. The potential noise impacts from round-the-clock construction activities have been a significant issue for this densely populated city where many of the residents are only tens of meters away from the sites. The relentless pressure to proceed quickly with the projects despite early slowdowns due to initial political uncertainties on the Strategy have added constraints and complexities in implementing control measures against the impacts. This paper covers the implementation aspects of the Environmental Impact Assessment carried out, the monitoring role of the specially set up Environmental Protection Offices, the statutory control of construction noise under the Noise Control Ordinance, and, finally, selected case studies on noise mitigation measures applied.