The Central Kowloon Bypass (Yau Me Tei Section) will be commissioned on December 21.
The project is a dual three-lane carriageway with a total length of 4.7 km, including a 3.9 km tunnel. It connects the Yau Ma Tei Interchange in West Kowloon to the Kai Tak Development Area and Kowloon Bay in East Kowloon.
Upon commissioning, it will allow traffic to bypass the busy central Kowloon area, thereby reduce journey times significantly. During peak hours, the travel time from Yau Ma Tei to Kowloon Bay will be shortened from about 30 minutes to just five minutes.
The bypass will also alleviate the traffic burden on existing major east-west corridors, including Lung Cheung Road, Argyle Street, Prince Edward Road West, Chatham Road North and Boundary Street.
Neighbouring areas such as Wong Tai Sin, Ho Man Tin and Kowloon City will also benefit.
The Highways Department and its contractors are now conducting final tests on systems and various drills. Detailed commissioning arrangements will be announced in due course.
