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History Constructed by private company under a 30-year franchise, the 1.8 km-long tunnel crossing opened in 1972, providing a road link between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. Prior to the tunnel's opening, cross-harbour vehicular traffic depended solely upon ferries. The tunnel now links the main financial and commercial districts on both sides of Victoria Harbour, connecting Kellett Island (a former island now connected to Hong Kong Island by reclamation), Hong Kong Island with a reclaimed site at Hung Hom Bay, Kowloon. The toll plaza is located at the Hung Hom end of the tunnel, and has a total of 14 toll booths. It was administered by The Cross-Harbour Tunnel Company Ltd until August 1999, when the operation franchise agreement expired and the government assumed control. Continued congestion and controversy Even though two other road tunnels, namely Eastern Harbour Crossing and Western Harbour Crossing, have been built to cross the Victoria Harbour since this one, traffic has not improved. There are two main factors: the locations of the other two tunnels were not as convenient as this one, and more importantly, the new tunnels were constructed under franchises effectively controlled by the powerful state-owned investment group CITIC Pacific. The tolls for crossing either of the other two tunnels were sufficiently more expensive, tolls were further increased in 2005 by up to 67% to boost investment returns•. The Government of Hong Kong claimed it was powerless to block the sharp increase in tolls, and is currently looking at other options to relieve the traffic here. Transport Bus routes that pass through the tunnel: See also | ||||||||||
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