Traffic expected to worsen due to roadworks

Nearly 1,000 construction projects involving roads will be conducted next year, according to a statement released by the Transport Bureau (DSAT) on Monday. The department predicts that the city’s traffic congestion will become severe over the next year.

The Road Construction Co-ordination Group has so far received plans for 711 road construction projects from governmental departments and institutions, all due to begin work in 2017. Moreover, there will be several private projects and urgent maintenance tasks of public projects that will add to this number.

DSAT explained that a multitude of developments are occurring next year since many big public infrastructure projects will commence or be completed next year alongside energy supply, information development, urban planning, and other projects.

DSAT issued a reminder that the projects will involve arterial roads and that the construction periods will be relatively long. Additionally, the length of many of the roads undergoing work will be altered.

Seventeen projects involving arterial roads will take between 140 to 1,000 days depending on their progress. The main roads to be involved will be Avenida do Almirante Lacerda, Rua do Visconde Paço d’Arcos, Avenida da Ponte da Amizade, Avenida do Conselheiro Borja, Avenida de 1 de Maio, Avenida de Venceslau de Morais, Avenida do Dr. Rodrigo Rodrigues and Avenida Dr. Sun Yat Sen.

According to DSAT, nearly half of the projects will take approximately six months to be complete.

Around 500 of the aforementioned 711 projects will be conducted in the Macau Peninsula, while 234 will take place on the islands.

In order to shorten the construction period and reduce the impact on people moving around the city, the Road Construction Co-ordination Group has introduced a reward and punishment mechanism to the project operators.

Lam Hin San, director of DSAT, when asked by the media about whether the department was worried that the projects would be criticised for worsening traffic, said that coordinating road projects was difficult, however the projects must be done.

Lam noted that many projects will be conducted in the northern districts. JZ