 | |
|---|---|
| Part ofRoute 9 | |
 | |
| Route information | |
| Maintained byHighways Department | |
| Length | 19.4 km (12.1 mi) |
| Existed | 1978–present |
| Major junctions | |
| West end | Tuen Mun (nearFu Tei) |
| Major intersections | 9; Route 3 atTing Kau Route 5 atTsuen Wan |
| East end | Tsuen Wan (nearChai Wan Kok) |
| Location | |
| Country | China |
| Special administrative region | Hong Kong |
| Highway system | |
| Tuen Mun Road | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese | 屯門公路 | ||||||||||||||
| CantoneseYale | tyun4 mun4 gung1 lou6 | ||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | Tuen Mun public road/ Tuen Mun Highway | ||||||||||||||
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Tuen Mun Road (Chinese: 屯門公路) is a majorexpressway in Hong Kong which connectsTuen Mun withTsuen Wan, within theNew Territories. It is part of Hong Kong'sRoute 9, which circumnavigates the New Territories. Opened in 1978, it was once the major trunk route linking the northwest New Territories to urban Kowloon and is known for its frequent traffic jams and road accidents owing to its early design and heavy usage. As a result, speed limits have been enforced to 70–80 km/h (45–50 mph) due to geometric constraints.
The highway leads offYuen Long Highway atLam Tei Interchange, where it also interchanges withCastle Peak Road andTsing Lun Road. The next section (considered from west to east) is a dual 3 lane road through thetown centre of Tuen Mun, but this section is not a statutorily designated (limited-access) expressway.
Expressway regulations apply from thejunction withWong Chu Road, where it widens to 3 lanes and climbs the hillside besideSam Shing Hui. It then descends intoSo Kwun Wat, crossing the rural area on anembankment. The road then rises again before descending intoSiu Lam Interchange, where it interchanges with Castle Peak Road.
From here, the highway crosses the mouth ofTai Lam Chung, and starts climbing the hillsides ofTai Lam through split level terraces (the lower one being the Tuen Mun bound carriageway). The two carriageways join before bypassing the village ofTsing Lung Tau to the north. This section of road is constructed upon various deepcuttings and high embankments. Afterwards, the road crosses over the village ofSham Tseng (situated in a valley) toSham Tseng Interchange, where it interchanges once again with Castle Peak Road.
The road then climbs towardsTing Kau Interchange with its widest section (5+3 lanes). After this junction withTsing Long Highway, the Highway crosses the valley ofTing Kau with various viaducts, with the Tsuen Wan bound carriageway climbing to meet the split level section into Tsuen Wan. This section is characterised by its tight bends and steep descent eastbound. The two carriageways join as the highway terminates and leads intoCheung Pei Shan Road, with slip roads connecting withTsuen Wan Road andCastle Peak Road (Tsuen Wan Section).
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| Tuen Mun Road | ||
| Westbound exits | Exit number | Eastbound exits |
 Lam Tei Interchange continues asYuen Long Highway | ||
| EndTuen Mun Road | StartTuen Mun Road | |
| Tsing Tin Interchange Tai Hing Tsing Tin Road | 18 | Tsing Tin Interchange Tai Hing Tsing Tin Road |
| San Hui San Tak Street | 19 | Tuen Mun Central Pui To Road |
| Tuen Mun Central Tuen Hi Road (service road) | 20 | Tuen Mun Central Tuen Fat Road (service road) |
| Tuen Mun Central,San Hui Tuen Hing Road | 20A | no exit |
| Butterfly Beach,Tuen Mun West Wong Chu Road | 21 | Butterfly Beach,Tuen Mun West Wong Chu Road |
| Siu Lam Interchange Siu Lam Castle Peak Road - Tai Lam | 22 | Siu Lam Interchange Siu Lam Castle Peak Road - Tai Lam |
| Sham Tseng Interchange Sham Tseng,Tsing Lung Tau Castle Peak Road - Sham Tseng | 23 | Sam Tseng Interchange Sham Tseng,Ting Kau Castle Peak Road - Sham Tseng |
| Ting Kau Interchange Yuen Long,Lok Ma Chau Tai Lam Tunnel | 24 | Ting Kau Interchange Lantau,Tsing Yi,Kowloon Ting Kau Bridge |
| no exit | 24A | Tsing Yi,Kowloon Tsuen Wan Road |
| StartTuen Mun Road | EndTuen Mun Road continues on asCastle Peak Road - Tsuen Wan andCheung Pei Shan Road | |
Tuen Mun Road was one of Hong Kong's first high speed roads, and the first expressway. Its construction proved to be a great challenge for the engineers. The road had to be built along the windingcoastline, and the steepterrain encountered required the construction of numerousviaducts,culverts and cuttings. To save construction costs, the road was built with narrowcarriageways and substandardgeometry, causing frequent traffic accidents and subsequent congestion for a long period, and as a result speed limits were reduced to 70–80 km/h (45–50 mph). Another such measure was putting the construction work into phases.
Phase 1 of the road was built in 1977, being the present dayTsuen Wan-bound carriageway. This section was officially opened on 5 May 1978 by GovernorMurray MacLehose.[1] Phase 2, which consists of theTuen Mun-bound carriageway betweenSham Tseng andTsuen Wan, was opened in 1981; the remaining Tuen Mun-bound carriageway was completed in 1983.
Since the road was opened, there have been various improvements carried out to meet the increasing traffic demand, such as the addition of uphill crawler lanes (Tsuen Wan Bound) atSam Shing Hui,So Kwun Wat,Tai Lam Chung andTing Kau. The Highways Department has plans to carry out extensive reconstruction works on Tuen Mun Road that will include widening traffic lanes, improving horizontal curvatures and sightlines, and the installation of noise barriers. These works commenced in October 2008 and completed at the end of 2015.[2]
Tuen Mun Road remains one of the most heavily used roads in Hong Kong, as some drivers heading toYuen LongshunpikeTai Lam Tunnel, and container trucks use it to access the River Trade Terminal in Tuen Mun.
To enhance the convenience of communicators travelling from New Territories to Kowloon or Hong Kong Island,Tuen Mun Road Bus-Bus Interchange had been under construction since 15 July 2010. The interchange on Kowloon bound side and that on Tuen Mun bound side were commissioned on 26 December 2012 and 27 July 2013 respectively.[3]
In the morning of 10 July 2003, aNeoplan Centroliner bus was running on route 265M ofKowloon Motor Bus (KMB) towardsTin Shui Wai,Yuen Long. A lorry running in the middle lane lost control as the bus approached the junction withTsing Long Highway. The two vehicles collided, knocking the bus towards the side of the viaduct. The bus broke through theparapet, and plunged into Ting Kau Village 35 metres (115 ft) below, resulting in 21 deaths (including the driver) and 20 injured.
Rescue operations were described as being the most challenging encountered by thefire services since the fire atGarley Building. This was due to the constraints at the site (a rural village sited on a steep hillside with no direct road access), and the sheer volume of severely wounded casualties.
The bus was later lifted back onto Tuen Mun Road and transported to the vehicle compound atSiu Ho Wan. It was howeverwritten off.
After the incident, then-Chief ExecutiveTung Chee Hwa visited the crash scene and pledged that the government would do all that it could to aid the survivors, to investigate the accident and prevent similar accidents from ever happening again.[4][5][6]
The lorry driver was sentenced to 18 months in jail after being found guilty ofcausing death by dangerous driving. At the time, it was the most serious road accident in Hong Kong history.[4] He later appealed the rulings, which were subsequently overturned. Tests have shown that the vehicle he was driving was defective (tending to veer to the side when braking), and he was then found guilty of a lesser charge, careless driving, and his sentence was shortened to five months and a two-year driving ban.[7]
On 1 December 2013, a screw that protruded out of the road surface caused the tyres of about 50 heavy vehicles, of which 36 were KMB buses, to burst. The incident caused a 3-hour traffic jam and a partial closure of the road. Hundreds of passengers were affected but no one was injured in the incident.[8]
| Preceded by Yuen Long Highway | Hong Kong Route 9 Tuen Mun Road | Succeeded by Cheung Pei Shan Road |
22°21′40″N114°02′13″E / 22.361°N 114.037°E /22.361; 114.037