Tolo Highway

Route 9 shield}}
Tolo Highway
Part of Route 9
Tolo Highway Aerial View 201707.jpg
Aerial view of Tolo Highway at Tai Po Kau
Route information
Maintained by Highways Department
Length11.3 km (7.0 mi)
Existed1987–present
Major junctions
East endSha Tin (near Ma Liu Shui)
Major intersections8 in total;
Route 2 at Ma Liu Shui
West endTai Po (Tai Hang San Wai)
Location
CountryChina
Special administrative regionHong Kong
Highway system
Tolo Highway

Tolo Highway (Chinese: 吐露港公路; Cantonese Yale: tou3 lou6 gong2 gung1 lou6) is a major expressway on Route 9 in Hong Kong. It connects the new towns of Sha Tin and Tai Po in the eastern New Territories, forming part of the New Territories Circular Road.

The 11.3-kilometre (7.0 mi) highway, constructed in three stages between 1985 and 1987, was so named as it skirts the western edge of Tolo Harbour.

Route description

The highway diverges from Tai Po Road near Sha Tin Racecourse. The following 7.3 kilometres (4.5 mi) of the road, running alongside the East Rail line, was built on an embankment on the west coast of Tolo Harbour towards Yuen Chau Tsai (Island House), which marks the eastern end of the Tai Po New Town. Construction began in March 1999 to expand the section to a dual four-lane carriageway and was finished in August 2003.[1] The section below the campus of the Chinese University of Hong Kong has since become landlocked owing to the reclamation for the Hong Kong Science Park.

The next section, 5 km (3.1 mi) long, bypasses Tai Po on the hills to its south, over Wun Yiu, Ma Wo and Pun Chun Yuen. As the alignment crosses a number of remote ravines far away from existing roads, four bridges along the bypass had to be incrementally launched. This was the first instance of such bridge building technique being adopted in Hong Kong.[2] Originally a dual 3-lane carriageway, this section was upgraded to a dual four-lane carriageway between August 2009 and March 2014.[3] The speed limit for the section was temporarily reduced to 80 km/h (50 mph) from 100 km/h (62 mph) during the widening works.

The road ends at Lam Kam Road Interchange, where it connects to Fanling Highway via a viaduct and interchanges with Lam Kam Road, Tai Po Road and Tai Wo Service Road West.

Interchanges and Junctions

There are 6 junctions along Tolo Highway: Sha Tin Racecourse, Ma Liu Shui, Science Park, Island House, Tat Wan Road and Tai Po Tai Wo Road.

Tolo Highway
District Location km[4][5] Interchange name Exit Destinations[6] Notes
Sha Tin Fo Tan 8.9 Tai Po Road – Sha Tin – Sha Tin, Kowloon Southern terminus; Route 9 continues
8.9 3 Sha Tin Racecourse Northbound exit and southbound entrance from and to Tai Po Road – Sha Tin
Ma Liu Shui 10.1 Ma Liu Shui Interchange 3A Route 2 ( Tate's Cairn Highway) – Ma On Shan, Kowloon East Southbound exit and northbound entrance only
10.1 4 Chak Cheung Street / Science Park Road – Ma Liu Shui, University, Science Park Southbound entrance from Sui Cheung Street
Tai Po Pak Shek Kok 13.4 4A Chong San Road – Pak Shek Kok, Science Park No northbound exit
Tai Po 16.0 Island House Interchange 5 Tai Po Road – Yuen Chau Tsai – Tai Po Market
Yuen Shin Road – Tai Po Central, Industrial Estate
17.0 5A Tat Wan Road – Tai Po (South) Northbound exit and southbound entrance only
Tai Wo 19.5 Tai Po North Interchange 6 Tai Po Tai Wo Road – Tai Po (North)
Tai Hang 20.2 Lam Kam Road Interchange 7 Lam Kam Road / Tai Wo Service Road West – Shek Kong, Hong Lok Yuen
Fanling Highway – Fanling, Sheung Shui, Yuen Long Northern terminus; Route 9 continues
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. ^ "Widening of Tolo Highway between Island House Interchange and Ma Liu Shui Interchange". Highways Department. Archived from the original on 10 July 2012. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
  2. ^ The New Territories Trunk Road (Sha Tin to Fanling Section). Hong Kong: The Government Printer. 1985.
  3. ^ "Widening of Tolo Highway/Fanling Highway between Island House Interchange and Tai Hang". Highways Department. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  4. ^ "Open Source Routing Machine". Retrieved 29 March 2014.
  5. ^ "Google Maps Street View". Google. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  6. ^ "Route Diagram - Route 9". Transport Department of the Government of Hong Kong. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tolo Highway.
Preceded by
Tai Po Road – Sha Tin 		Hong Kong Route 9

Tolo Highway 		Succeeded by
Fanling Highway