Cross-Harbour Tunnel

Cross-Harbour Tunnel
Entrance to the tunnel in Hung Hom, Kowloon in September 2012
Overview
LocationBeneath Victoria Harbour, between Hung Hom Bay and Kellet Island
Coordinates22°17′29″N 114°10′56″E / 22.29139°N 114.18222°E / 22.29139; 114.18222 (Cross-Harbour Tunnel)
StatusActive
SystemPart of Route 1
StartHung Hom Bay, Kowloon
(between Hong Chong Road and Salisbury Road)
EndKellet Island, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong Island
(Canal Road Flyover)
Operation
Opened2 August 1972; 52 years ago (1972-08-02)
OwnerHong Kong Government
OperatorChun Wo Tunnel Management Limited
TrafficVehicular
Vehicles per day116,754
Technical
Length1.86 kilometres (1.16 mi)
No. of lanes4 lanes (2 lanes per direction) in road tunnel with 3 lanes per direction on exit
Operating speed70 kilometres per hour (43 mph) (within tunnel)
50 kilometres per hour (31 mph) (exit and entrance to tunnel)
Map
Cross-Harbour Tunnel
Chinese海底隧道
JyutpingHoi2dai2 Seoi6dou6
Literal meaningSeabed tunnel
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinHǎidǐ Suìdào
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationHóidái Seuihdouh
JyutpingHoi2dai2 Seoi6dou6
Alternative Chinese name
Traditional Chinese紅磡海底隧道
Simplified Chinese红磡海底隧道
JyutpingHung4ham3 Hoi2dai2 Seoi6dou6
Literal meaningHung Hom seabed tunnel
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinHóngkàn Hǎidǐ Suìdào
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationHùhngham Hóidái Seuihdouh
JyutpingHung4ham3 Hoi2dai2 Seoi6dou6

The Cross-Harbour Tunnel (abbreviated CHT or XHT) is the first tunnel in Hong Kong built underwater. It consists of two steel road tunnels each with two lanes constructed using the single shell immersed tube method.[1]

It is the earliest of three vehicular harbour crossings in Hong Kong, opened for traffic in 1972. It was constructed under a 30-year private-sector franchise based on a build–operate–transfer model, and the title passed to the Hong Kong government in 1999 upon termination of the franchise. It has become one of the most congested roads in Hong Kong and the world, with 116,753 vehicles passing through it daily in 2013.[2]

  1. ^ The Hong Kong Cross-Harbour tunnel (Figure 11-3 and Figure 11-12). Technical Manual for Design and Construction of Road Tunnels – Civil Elements Chapter 11 – Immersed Tunnels. United States Department of Transportation – Federal Highway Administration. Updated: 4 May 2011. Retrieved 2013-01-18.
  2. ^ "Drivers facing three more years of jams in Cross-Harbour Tunnel". South China Morning Post. 19 February 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.