Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
is a dual 3-lane carriageway
motorway
A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms i ...
that links
Lantau Island
Lantau Island (also Lantao Island, Lan Tao) is the largest island in Hong Kong, located West of Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula, and is part of the New Territories. Administratively, most of Lantau Island is part of the Islands ...
,
Tsing Yi Island
Tsing Yi, sometimes referred to as Tsing Yi Island, is an island in the urban area of Hong Kong, to the northwest of Hong Kong Island and south of Tsuen Wan. With an area of , the island has extended drastically by reclamation along almost all ...
,
Cheung Sha Wan
Cheung Sha Wan is an area between Lai Chi Kok and Sham Shui Po in New Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is mainly residential to the north and south, with an industrial area in between. Administratively it is part of Sham Shui Po District, which also ...
in
West Kowloon
West Kowloon () is the western part of Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong, situated within the Yau Tsim Mong District and Sham Shui Po District. It is bounded by Canton Road to the east, Victoria Harbour to the west and the south, and Jorda ...
, and
Sha Tin
Sha Tin, also spelt Shatin, is a neighbourhood along Shing Mun River in the eastern New Territories, Hong Kong. Administratively, it is part of the Sha Tin District. Sha Tin is one of the neighbourhoods of the Sha Tin New Town project.
The ne ...
in the southeast
New Territories
The New Territories is one of the three main regions of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory, and contains around half of the population of Hong Kong. Historically, it ...
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
North Lantau Highway is an expressway forming part of Hong Kong's Route 8, linking Hong Kong International Airport and Lantau Island with the rest of the territory. The road has three lanes in each direction for its entire length with full ...
and
Lantau Link
The Lantau Link, formerly known as the Lantau Fixed Crossing, is a roadway in Hong Kong forming part of Route 8 linking Lantau Island to Tsing Yi, from which other roads lead to the urban areas of Kowloon and the rest of the New Territories ...
, which opened in 1997. Route 8 becomes Airport Road at
Chek Lap Kok
Chek Lap Kok is an island in the western waters of Hong Kong's New Territories. Unlike the smaller Lam Chau, it was only partially leveled when it was assimilated via land reclamation into the island for the current Hong Kong International ...
.
The section between Tsing Yi and Cheung Sha Wan, formerly known as Route 9, is a dual 3-lane expressway. This section consists of the
Stonecutters Bridge
Stonecutters Bridge is a high level cable-stayed bridge spanning the Rambler Channel in Hong Kong, connecting Nam Wan Kok, Tsing Yi to Stonecutters Island. The bridge deck was completed on 7 April 2009, and opened to traffic on 20 December ...
, which spans the
Rambler Channel
Rambler Channel is a body of water in Hong Kong that separates Tsing Yi Island from Tsuen Wan and Kwai Chung in the New Territories. The channel separates the two landmasses by 900 metres at its widest point.
Historically, the channel was known ...
from
Stonecutters Island
Stonecutters Island or Ngong Shuen Chau is a former island in Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong. Following land reclamation, it is now attached to the Kowloon Peninsula.
Fauna
The island once boasted at least three mating pairs of sulphur-crested co ...
and links with the
Lantau Link
The Lantau Link, formerly known as the Lantau Fixed Crossing, is a roadway in Hong Kong forming part of Route 8 linking Lantau Island to Tsing Yi, from which other roads lead to the urban areas of Kowloon and the rest of the New Territories ...
through the
Nam Wan Tunnel
Nam Wan Tunnel is a tunnel in Hong Kong opened to traffic on 20 December 2009, along with the West Tsing Yi Viaduct, East Tsing Yi Viaduct and Stonecutters Bridge. The road tunnel, which forms an important part of the HK$15 billion Route ...
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
The Lantau Link, formerly known as the Lantau Fixed Crossing, is a roadway in Hong Kong forming part of Route 8 linking Lantau Island to Tsing Yi, from which other roads lead to the urban areas of Kowloon and the rest of the New Territories ...
, particularly vehicles from Tsim Sha Tsui and Western Harbour Crossing, previously vehicles had to use Route 3 (
Cheung Tsing Bridge
Cheung Tsing Bridge, formerly Rambler Channel Bridge, is a bridge crossing Rambler Channel in Hong Kong, connecting Cheung Tsing Tunnel on Tsing Yi Island and Kwai Chung section of Tsing Kwai Highway. It is part of Tsing Kwai Highway of ...
and
Cheung Tsing Tunnel
Cheung Tsing Tunnel, also spelled Cheung Ching Tunnel, is a dual tube 3-lane tunnel on Tsing Yi Island, Hong Kong. It is part of Route 3. Its east end connects to Cheung Tsing Bridge and west Cheung Tsing Highway. The tunnel was opened on ...
).
The remaining section links Cheung Sha Wan and Tai Wai, formerly known as Route 16. It is composed of the
Eagle's Nest Tunnel
Eagle's Nest Tunnel and Sha Tin Heights Tunnel are road tunnels in the New Territories of Hong Kong. Both tunnels were officially opened on 21 March 2008. The tunnels connect Cheung Sha Wan through Eagle's Nest hill to Tai Wai, and are linked ...
and
Sha Tin Heights Tunnel
Eagle's Nest Tunnel and Sha Tin Heights Tunnel are road tunnels in the New Territories of Hong Kong. Both tunnels were officially opened on 21 March 2008. The tunnels connect Cheung Sha Wan through Eagle's Nest hill to Tai Wai, and are linked ...
, totalling in length and connecting Route 9 at its Sha Tin terminus. It was opened on 21 March 2008.
Areas passed through by Route 8 include
Hong Kong International Airport
Hong Kong International Airport is Hong Kong's main airport, built on reclaimed land on the island of Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong. The airport is also referred to as Chek Lap Kok International Airport or ''Chek Lap Kok Airport'', to distinguish ...
,
Tung Chung
Tung Chung, meaning " eastern stream", is an area on the northwestern coast of Lantau Island, Hong Kong. One of the most recent new towns, it was formerly a rural fishing village beside Tung Chung Bay, and along the delta and lower courses of T ...
,
Hong Kong Disneyland
Hong Kong Disneyland () (local nickname ''HKDL''; also known as HK Disneyland) is a theme park located on reclaimed land in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island. It is located inside the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and it is owned and managed by Hong Ko ...
,
Ma Wan
Ma Wan is an island of Hong Kong, located between Lantau Island and Tsing Yi Island, with an area of .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 Airport Core Programme was a series of infrastructure projects centred on the new Hong Kong International Airport during the early 1990s. The programme was part of the Port and Airport Development Strategy, commonly known as the Rose Gard ...
. 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
North Lantau Highway is an expressway forming part of Hong Kong's Route 8, linking Hong Kong International Airport and Lantau Island with the rest of the territory. The road has three lanes in each direction for its entire length with full ...
,
Kap Shui Mun Bridge
The Kap Shui Mun Bridge (KSMB) in Hong Kong, part of Lantau Link of Route 8, is one of the longest cable-stayed bridges in the world that transports both road and railway traffic, with the upper deck used for motor vehicles and the lower deck u ...
and
Tsing Ma Bridge
Tsing Ma Bridge is a bridge in Hong Kong. It is the world's 16th-longest span suspension bridge, and was the second longest at time of completion. The bridge was named after the two islands it connects, namely Tsing Yi and Ma Wan. It has tw ...
.
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
Nam Wan Tunnel is a tunnel in Hong Kong opened to traffic on 20 December 2009, along with the West Tsing Yi Viaduct, East Tsing Yi Viaduct and Stonecutters Bridge. The road tunnel, which forms an important part of the HK$15 billion Route ...
was completed as early as 25 February 2005, but it was opened to traffic only in 2009 after the completion of the
Stonecutters Bridge
Stonecutters Bridge is a high level cable-stayed bridge spanning the Rambler Channel in Hong Kong, connecting Nam Wan Kok, Tsing Yi to Stonecutters Island. The bridge deck was completed on 7 April 2009, and opened to traffic on 20 December ...
; until then traffic would have to use Route 3 (including the
Cheung Tsing Highway
Cheung Tsing Highway () is a highway of Route 3 between Cheung Tsing Tunnel and on Tsing Yi Island, New Territories, Hong Kong. It was built as part of the Airport Core Programme together with the rest of Route 3 to provide a new highway link f ...
,
Cheung Tsing Tunnel
Cheung Tsing Tunnel, also spelled Cheung Ching Tunnel, is a dual tube 3-lane tunnel on Tsing Yi Island, Hong Kong. It is part of Route 3. Its east end connects to Cheung Tsing Bridge and west Cheung Tsing Highway. The tunnel was opened on ...
and
Cheung Tsing Bridge
Cheung Tsing Bridge, formerly Rambler Channel Bridge, is a bridge crossing Rambler Channel in Hong Kong, connecting Cheung Tsing Tunnel on Tsing Yi Island and Kwai Chung section of Tsing Kwai Highway. It is part of Tsing Kwai Highway of ...
) 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
Tsing Sha Highway () is a major expressway in Hong Kong, which links the island of Tsing Yi to Sha Tin. The road is part of Route 8, which starts in Sha Tin and terminates in Tung Chung. It was opened in March 2008 and extended in December 20 ...
. 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
See also
*
List of streets and roads in Hong Kong
The following are incomplete lists of notable expressways, tunnels, bridges, roads, avenues, streets, crescents, Town square, squares and bazaars in Hong Kong.
Many roads on the Hong Kong Island conform to the contours of the hill landscape. S ...
*
Lantau Link
The Lantau Link, formerly known as the Lantau Fixed Crossing, is a roadway in Hong Kong forming part of Route 8 linking Lantau Island to Tsing Yi, from which other roads lead to the urban areas of Kowloon and the rest of the New Territories ...
*
North Lantau Highway
North Lantau Highway is an expressway forming part of Hong Kong's Route 8, linking Hong Kong International Airport and Lantau Island with the rest of the territory. The road has three lanes in each direction for its entire length with full ...
*
Tsing Yi North Coastal Road
Tsing Yi North Coastal Road, also abbreviated as TYNCR, is a dual carriageway in Tsing Yi, Hong Kong. The road starts at Tsing Tsuen Road, where it travels through the northern part of the island. It ends at Route 3 and Route 8 on the wes ...