ISLAND EASTERN CORRIDOR

'Island Eastern Corridor' ('IEC'; ) is an expressway along the north shore of Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong, China. It starts from Causeway Bay in the west and ends in Chai Wan in the east. It is part of Route 4. The section between Causeway Bay and Quarry Bay consists mainly of viaducts built along Victoria Harbour.

Contents

History

Alignment

Criticism

Bus routes using the Corridor

Junctions along the Corridor

References

See also

External links

History

After World War II, the Eastern District of Hong Kong Island developed rapidly. As a result, the major thoroughfare in the area, King's Road, became very congested.^[1]
In order to relieve the congestion problem, the idea of constructing the corridor was brought out in 1968. However, commencement of construction did not begin until 1981.^[2] The corridor was opened in three phases: Causeway Bay to Tai Koo Shing on June 8, 1984; Tai Koo Shing to Shau Kei Wan on July 26, 1985; and Shau Kei Wan to Chai Wan on October 12, 1989.¹
Work has been done to the expressway several times over its life, including the bridge diversions at Quarry Bay, completed in 2003, where Route 4 joins with Route 2. There is also a proposed extension of the Corridor into the hills of Chai Wan.

Alignment

The corridor starts at Causeway Bay as a viaduct, where it joins Victoria Park Road and Gloucester Road with a ramp. It then heads east along the coast of North Point, still a viaduct until it comes to somewhere near Quarry Bay where it descends onto ground level, and intersects with the approach road of Eastern Harbour Crossing. After it has passed Tai Koo Shing, it becomes a viaduct again, now crossing between Sai Wan Ho and Aldrich Bay. It returns to ground level again near the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence, and runs all the way towards Chai Wan. It ends at a roundabout with Chai Wan Road and Wan Tsui Road.

Criticism

It is often criticised for using up the seafront which could have been enjoyed by residents of Hong Kong had alternative alignments been chosen. Residents have also complained about traffic noises owing to some sections' proximity to residential buildings. It has been suggested that the Watson Road - Tiu Chiu Street section of the corridor be replaced with a tunnel, but was never considered due to the complex nature of the necessary works.^[3]

Bus routes using the Corridor

The bus companies in Hong Kong operate a number of "express" bus routes that travel on the Island Eastern Corridor. Examples are:

★ KMB

★
★ 681 Ma On Shan Town Centre <-> Central (Hong Kong Station)

★
★ 307 Tai Po Central <-> Central Ferry Piers

★ New World First Bus

★
★ 2X Wan Chai Ferry Pier <-> Aldrich Bay

★
★ 8 Wan Chai Ferry Pier <-> Heng Fa Chuen

★
★ 8P Wan Chai Ferry Pier <-> Siu Sai Wan (Island Resort)

★
★ 720 Central (Macau Ferry) <-> Aldrich Bay

★
★ 720A Aldrich Bay <-> Admiralty (circular)

★
★ 720P Central (Macau Ferry) <-> Taikoo Shing (circular)

★
★ M722 Yiu Tung Estate <-> Central (Hong Kong Station) (circular)

★ Citybus

★
★ 8X Happy Valley (Lower) <-> Siu Sai Wan (Island Resort)

★
★ 780 Chai Wan (East) <-> Central (Ferry Piers)

★
★ 788 Central (Macau Ferry) <-> Siu Sai Wan (Island Resort)

★
★ 789 Siu Sai Wan (Island Resort) <-> Admiralty (Rodney Street)

Junctions along the Corridor

The junctions along the corridor are as follows:

Name	Full access/Limited access	Exit Number (Route 4)
Hing Fat Street (for Causeway Bay)	Limited access: ★ IEC eastbound no exit ★ IEC westbound no entry	6B
Tong Shui Road (for North Point)	Limited access: ★ IEC westbound no exit ★ IEC eastbound no entry	6A
North Point/Quarry Bay	Full access	6
Eastern Harbour Crossing (for Kowloon East)	Full access	5
Tai Koo Shing	Full access	4
Kornhill/Sai Wan Ho	Limited access: ★ IEC westbound no exit ★ IEC eastbound no exit	3C
Shau Kei Wan/Aldrich Bay	Limited access: ★ IEC westbound no exit ★ IEC eastbound no entry	3B
Shek O	Limited access: ★ IEC westbound no exit ★ IEC eastbound no entry	3A
Shau Kei Wan	Limited access: ★ IEC eastbound no exit/entry ★ IEC westbound no entry	2B
Aldrich Bay	Limited access: ★ IEC westbound no exit ★ IEC eastbound no entry	2B
Chai Wan/Siu Sai Wan	Full access Note: ★ Westbound exit to Chai Wan only ★ Westbound entry at Heng Fa Chuen	2

References

1. Roads and Railways - Hong Kong Trunk Routes 1(中文)
2. Maunsell Consultants Asia Ltd Project Information Sheet - Island Eastern Corridor, Hong Kong
3. LCQ17: Suggestion of replacing parts of Island Eastern Corridor with a tunnel

See also

★ List of expressways in Hong Kong

External links

★ Google Maps of Island Eastern Corridor