About 85 percent of the Round-the-Island Trail on Hong Kong Island has been completed, with connectivity expected to reach 90 percent by the end of next year and full completion targeted for the end of 2031, Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho said on Wednesday.
The government began constructing the trail in phases in 2023, following its proposal in the 2022 Policy Address. The 60-kilometer route is designed to link waterfront promenades and countryside walking trails across the northern and southern parts of Hong Kong Island.
Linn’s remarks came in response to lawmaker Judy Chan Kapui’s question at a Legislative Council meeting on whether the government would consider including several waterfront sites in Central and Western District in the project and constructing a pedestrian boardwalk along the Kennedy Town waterfront.
The development chief said some sections along the northern shore of Hong Kong Island cannot yet provide a continuous coastal trail because the land is privately owned, including areas near Shun Tak Centre and China Merchants Wharf. The government is in discussions with the relevant landowners.
Regarding the Western District Public Cargo Working Area, Linn said part of the coastal land has been released, but the remaining area must continue to be used for maritime cargo handling before a pedestrian path can be constructed to connect both ends of the trail.
Authorities are working on beautifying the pedestrian section, including upgrading outdoor installations and directional signage, with completion expected in the first quarter of this year.
On the proposal for a pedestrian boardwalk along the Kennedy Town waterfront, Linn said the government revised the streamlined mechanism under the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance last year and plans to launch a public consultation on the proposal in the second quarter of this year.
For uncompleted sections in the Southern District, Linn said projects scheduled for completion in the second and third quarters of this year include walking tracks between Tai Tam Road near Pacific View and the Lo Fu Shan Catchwater, as well as beautification works at the existing open space near Hairpin Beach.
She added that construction of two new walking path projects will begin this year, one linking Cape D’Aguilar Road to Shek O Beach and another connecting Victoria Road to the rocky shore at Sandy Bay. Both are expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Linn said the remaining 10 percent of the trail, about six kilometers, covers areas from Shau Kei Wan to Heng Fa Chuen and several sections in the Southern District. These involve greater technical challenges and construction complexity, and the government aims to substantially complete them by the end of 2031.
She also noted that building a pedestrian trail along a section of Big Wave Bay Road is not feasible, and alternative routes, including a diversion via Dragon’s Back, are being explored.
Separately, lawmaker Chan Hok-fung raised concerns about the lack of catering facilities along the trail.
Linn said improvement works are underway in Wan Chai, Central, North Point, and Tsim Sha Tsui, and that the government will collaborate with businesses in the West Kowloon Cultural District within the year to explore adding food stalls in Central, North Point, and Tsim Sha Tsui.
