Route 8 shield}}
Route 8
Alignment and exits of Route 8 (zoom in to view exit details)
Route information
Maintained by Highways Department
Length33.1 km (20.6 mi)
32.6 kilometres (20.3 mi) eastbound
Existed1997–present
Major junctions
East end Route 9 in Sha Tin Town Centre
Major intersections Route 7 near Lai Chi Kok
Route 3 in Cheung Sha Wan
Route 3 in Tsing Yi
Penny's Bay Highway near Sunny Bay/Yam O
West endAirport Road near Hong Kong International Airport
Location
CountryChina
Special administrative regionHong Kong
DistrictsSha Tin, Sham Shui Po, Kwai Tsing, Tsuen Wan, Islands
Highway system
← Route 7→ Route 9
Knitting bridges interchange of Route 8 and Route 3 at the border of Cheung Sha Wan and Lai Chi Kok

Route 8 (Chinese: 八號幹線) of Hong Kong is a dual 3-lane carriageway motorway that links Lantau Island, Tsing Yi Island, Cheung Sha Wan in West Kowloon, and Sha Tin in the southeast New Territories of Hong Kong. It is a combination of many sections.

The section from Lantau to Tsing Yi is made up of the existing North Lantau Highway and Lantau Link, which opened in 1997. Route 8 becomes Airport Road at Chek Lap Kok.

The section between Tsing Yi and Cheung Sha Wan, formerly known as Route 9, is a 7.6 km (4.7 mi) dual 3-lane expressway. This section consists of the Stonecutters Bridge, which spans the Rambler Channel from Stonecutters Island and links with the Lantau Link through the Nam Wan Tunnel and West Tsing Yi viaduct and was opened on 20 December 2009. This section provides traffic with a more direct route to the Lantau Link, particularly vehicles from Tsim Sha Tsui and Western Harbour Crossing, previously vehicles had to use Route 3 (Cheung Tsing Bridge and Cheung Tsing Tunnel).

The remaining section links Cheung Sha Wan and Tai Wai, formerly known as Route 16. It is composed of the Eagle's Nest Tunnel and Sha Tin Heights Tunnel, totalling 6.7 km (4.2 mi) in length and connecting Route 9 at its Sha Tin terminus. It was opened on 21 March 2008.[1][2]

Areas passed through by Route 8 include Hong Kong International Airport, Tung Chung, Hong Kong Disneyland, Ma Wan, Tsing Yi, West Kowloon, and Sha Tin.

Route 8 also connects with Route 3, Route 7, and Route 9.

History

The current Route 8 section was planned in 1990, in line with the Airport Core Programme. The section from Chek Lap Kok to Tsing Yi is called Route 9; the section from Tsing Yi to Sha Tin is called Route 16. The former was opened to traffic on 22 May 1997, including North Lantau Highway, Kap Shui Mun Bridge and Tsing Ma Bridge.

In November 2002, the construction of Route 16 (now Route 8 from Tsing Yi section to Sha Tin section) began. On 31 January 2004, according to the Third generation of Route number system, Route 9 and Route 16 were merged into Route 8. Among them, the Nam Wan Tunnel was completed as early as 25 February 2005, but it was opened to traffic only in 2009 after the completion of the Stonecutters Bridge; until then traffic would have to use Route 3 (including the Cheung Tsing Highway, Cheung Tsing Tunnel and Cheung Tsing Bridge) which linked the two discontinuous segments of Route 8.

In 2008, the section between Cheung Sha Wan and Sha Tin of Route 8 was completed and was named Tsing Sha Highway. The Community Chest held the New Territories Million Walk on this section on February 24. The Tsing Sha Highway was opened to traffic on March 21.

In 2009, the section between Cheung Sha Wan and Tsing Yi section of Route 8 was completed, and the Community Chest held a million trip on the Stonecutters Bridge and the Nam Wan Tunnel on 15 November. The remaining section of the Tsing Sha Highway was opened to traffic on 20 December, and the same day also marked the full completion of Route 8.

Observed roads and exits

District Location Road Name km mi Exit Destinations Notes
Sha Tin District Tai Wai Joins Route 9 (Tai Po Road - Sha Tin)
Tsing Sha Highway 1.2 0.7 1 Mei Tin Road - Tai Wai, Tsuen Wan via Route 9 (Shing Mun Tunnel) Eastbound exit only
Chik Wan Street - Tai Wai Westbound exit only
1.2 0.7 1A Tai Po Road
1.6–2.1 1.0–1.3 Tai Wai Tunnel
2.2 1.4 1B Che Kung Miu Road - Hin Tin, Tai Wai Station Eastbound exit only
Butterfly Valley 2.3–3.3 1.4–2.1 Sha Tin Heights Tunnel
3.7–5.8 2.3–3.6 Eagle's Nest Tunnel (Tolled)
Sham Shui Po District Lai Chi Kok Tsing Sha Highway 6.4 4.0 1C Route 7 (Ching Cheung Road) - Kwai Chung, Princess Margaret Hospital (Hong Kong) Westbound exit only
7.2 4.5 2A Lin Cheung Road - Cheung Sha Wan, Lai Chi Kok, Hong Kong (West)
7.8 4.8 2B Lin Cheung Road - Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong Eastbound exit only
Stonecutters Island 8.5 5.3 2C Container Port Road South - Stonecutters Island Westbound exit only
9.2 5.7 2D Container Port Road South - Container Terminal 8, Lai Chi Kok, Cheung Sha Wan, Mong Kok Eastbound exit only
Rambler Channel 10.1–11.7 6.3–7.3 Stonecutters Bridge
Kwai Tsing District Tsing Yi 11.9 7.4 3 Tsing Yi Road, Tsing Yi Hong Wan Road - Tsing Yi, Container Terminal 9 —
12.6–13.8 7.8–8.6 Nam Wan Tunnel
Cheung Tsing Highway 14.1 8.8 3A Route 3 (Tsing Long Highway ) - Yuen Long Westbound exit only
North West Tsing Yi Interchange 15.5 9.6 4A Route 3 (Cheung Tsing Highway ) Eastbound - Container Terminal 1-7, Kowloon, Hong Kong Eastbound exit only
15.9 9.9 4B Tsing Yi North Coastal Road - Tsing Yi (North), Tsuen Wan, Sha Tin
Lantau Link Visitors Centre
Route 3 (Cheung Tsing Highway ) Westbound - Yuen Long, Tuen Mun
Ma Wan Channel Lantau Link 15.9–17.9 9.9–11.1 Tsing Ma Bridge
Tsuen Wan District Ma Wan 18.3 11.4 4C Ma Wan Road - Ma Wan Westbound exit only
Permission required for access
Kap Shui Mun 18.4–19.2 11.4–11.9 Kap Shui Mun Bridge
Islands District Yam O North Lantau Highway 21.8 13.5 5 Penny's Bay Highway - Hong Kong Disneyland, Sunny Bay —
Siu Ho Wan 27.7 17.2 5A Shun Long Road - Tuen Mun, Zhuhai, Macao Westbound exit only
28.3 17.6 6 Sham Shui Kok Drive - Siu Ho Wan Depot Westbound exit only
29.7 18.4 6A Shun Long Road - Tuen Mun, Zhuhai, Macao Eastbound exit only
Tung Chung 31.6 19.6 6B Yi Tung Road, Yu Tung Road - Tung Chung (West), North Lantau Hospital, Tung Chung Cable Car Terminal Westbound exit only
32.6 20.3 6C Tung Chung Waterfront Road - Tung Chung (North), Tung Chung Cable Car Terminal
Chek Lap Kok Joins Airport Road

See also

References

  1. ↑ "八號幹線沙田至長沙灣通車". Mingpao. 21 March 2008. Archived from the original on 25 March 2008.
  2. ↑ "Route 8 between Cheung Sha Wan and Sha Tin". Highways Department. Archived from the original on 9 March 2008. Retrieved 18 February 2008.
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