The Highways Department said, the 4.7 km proposed Central Kowloon Route (CKR) will connect West Kowloon with Kowloon Bay and the future Kai Tak development. The high-speed route will be a dual three-lane road with a 3.9 km tunnel passing below Yau Ma Tei, Ho Man Tin, To Kwa Wan and Kowloon City, catering for up to 4,700 vehicles an hour in one direction. It will provide a new strategic east-west road link across central Kowloon.

     The proposed CKR will largely be in the form of a tunnel to minimize its impact on existing buildings. The length of the tunnel is about 3.9 km and the CKR tunnel will be one of the longest vehicular tunnels in Hong Kong. It will mainly be in the form of a deep bored tunnel except at the two ends where shallow cut-and-cover tunnel will be used. For the portion across the waters in Kowloon Bay, immersed tube tunnel will be used to avoid reclamation.
     Noting people's concern about the impact of the new link's construction on Yau Ma Tei's local culture and heritage, the department has, apart from engineering issues, explored the district's cultural features and the route's social impact.

     The department has reviewed more than 40 alignment options, taking into account the traffic, environmental and social impacts. Based on the public views received, the department has come up with the preferred alignment. Under the preferred option, Yau Ma Tei Police Station's old wing, which was built in 1922, and Yau Ma Tei Jockey Club Polyclinic will be preserved. As the route will pass underneath the police station's new wing, it may require underpinning.

     No private buildings will be affected. Three government buildings - Kowloon Government Offices, Yau Ma Tei Multi-storey Car Park Building and Yau Ma Tei Specialist Clinic - must be demolished and the Jade Market relocated.

     The department will also build an enclosed deck over the tunnel portal in West Kowloon so that it will be about 300 metres away from existing dwellings and extensive greening will be carried out on the deck. The tunnel's ventilation building will be relocated, making it farther away from the dwellings.

     The proposed CKR will relieve the traffic congestion at peak hours on the existing east-west corridors, including Lung Cheung Road, Boundary Street, Prince Edward Road, Argyle Street, Waterloo Road, Gascoigne Road Flyover and Chatham Road North. Works on the CKR are scheduled to start in 2012 for completion in 2016. The project will cost approximately HK$10 billion.