New Central Library abandons plan to move traffic underground

The new Macao Central Library, which will be built on the former site of Hotel Estoril in Tap Seac Square, will abandon its plan to re-direct traffic underground from the Avenida de Sidónio Pais, the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) told the Times.
In a written reply to questions submitted to the bureau regarding the project, the IC confirmed that the plan to build a new section of the road tunnel at Tap Seac Square and consequently expand the Square up to the library is no longer being considered.
“In the early planning stage of the project of the Youth Centre of Tap Seac for Cultural, Recreational and Sporting Activities, the construction of a vehicle underpass on part of the Avenida de Sidónio Pais was considered so that the area of the Tap Seac Square could be expanded and connected with the land where the former Estoril Hotel is situated,” the IC said.
“The Transport Bureau was asked to conduct a preliminary assessment. However, the road at the entry and exit of the [formerly considered] vehicle underpass would have to be quite steep or [call for] a very long tunnel. This would affect different roads accessing Avenida de Sidónio Pais, and create several complications for the transport network. Therefore, this [proposal] can hardly be achieved in the short term.”
Addressing questions regarding the accessibility of the new building, the IC added that “The Cultural Affairs Bureau attaches great importance to public concerns about the connection between the Tap Seac Square and the New Macao Central Library. Therefore, we will work with the relevant departments to explore the feasibility of building pedestrian facilities, such as a footbridge or an underground passage, in order to provide the public with a more convenient and safer environment.”
The bureau also acknowledged that some of the accessibility and traffic-related concerns had also been expressed during the public consultation period. “IC will incorporate the relevant opinions in the design requirements of the next phase of the project, including consideration of building an [extra level in the] underground car park.”
The idea of creating a new traffic underpass was first raised during the presentation of the now scrapped Youth Activity Center, which would have taken up a far larger area. This included the use of land currently occupied by the Estoril Swimming pool, which would have been relocated to a different part of the building.
According to the IC president, Mok Ian Ian, the new central library building is expected to be completed late 2024 or early 2025 with a budgeted cost of around MOP500 million. The design of the library was recently contracted to the Dutch architecture firm Mecanoo.
In some of the four design proposals received by the IC from different architecture companies, the expansion of the square to the perimeter of the building was considered, transforming the road into a pedestrian and garden area.