Canal Road, Hong Kong

Canal Road
	Underneath Canal Road Flyover in August 2008[clarification needed]
Native name	堅拿道 (Yue Chinese)
Location	Bowrington, Wan Chai District, Hong Kong

Canal Road East (Chinese: 堅拿道東), Canal Road West (堅拿道西) and the Canal Road Flyover (堅拿道天橋) are important roads in the Wan Chai District of Hong Kong Island, between the areas of East Point near Causeway Bay, and Morrison Hill near Wan Chai.

History

Before urban development, the area was the estuary of the Wong Nai Chung river, which flowed through Happy Valley. The 4th Governor of Hong Kong, John Bowring, developed the estuary area and named it Bowrington [yue; zh-tw] (or Bowring City).

Bowrington Canal [yue; zh-tw] was built during the mid to late 1850s, fed by Wong Nai Chung. Because the long and narrow canal resembled the neck of a goose it was known as Ngo Keng Kan (鵝頸澗; 'goose neck stream'). It was used by small vessels that could pass under various bridges along the route. The landmark Bowrington Bridge [yue; zh-tw] across the canal, built in 1861, was known as Ngo Keng Kiu (鵝頸橋; 'goose neck bridge') and carried the Hong Kong Tramways line across the waterway. The surrounding area, Bowrington, is also known as Ngo Keng.

The original wooden bridge was replaced by an iron one that opened in March 1892.^[1] During the reclamation from 1922 to 1929 that created modern Wan Chai (the Praya East Reclamation Scheme) a wider bridge (100 foot width) was built with a double line of tram tracks.^[2]

The canal was covered and made subterranean in the 1970s when the Canal Road Flyover was built. However, the name survives for the area.

Canal Road Flyover

Canal Road Flyover [yue] (traditional Chinese: 堅拿道天橋; simplified Chinese: 坚拿道天桥; Jyutping: gin1naa4dou6tin1kiu4; Cantonese Yale: Gīnnàhdouh Tīnkìuh; pinyin: Jiānnádào Tiānqiáo) was built in the 1970s for the Cross-Harbour Tunnel, between Canal Road East and Canal Road West. Many who do not know the history of Canal Road might associate the flyover with Ngo Keng Kiu. It initially connected only Canal Road West to the north of Gloucester Road when it opened on 29 March 1972. Four years later, the flyover was expanded and extended south to the portal of Aberdeen Tunnel in Happy Valley^[3] (the extension is separately named Wong Nai Chung Gap Flyover [yue; zh-tw]).

Peter Hines^[4] was the Resident Civil Engineer for the building of Happy Valley's multiple-curves, 4-lane-wide, 40-span-long viaduct, and roads – and responsible for the opening in late 1980. He had warned that the wide, sloping roads would flood rain into the Happy Valley Racecourse and harbour tunnel, requiring flood tanks hidden under the racecourse.^[5]

The flyover was expanded again and an exit connected to Canal Road East.^[when?]

The flyovers currently connects Aberdeen Tunnel to the Cross-Harbour Tunnel. They are a very important thoroughfare to conveniently reach Southern District and Happy Valley. From the Wan Chai Interchange, they pass (in order): Gloucester Road, Jaffe Road, Lockhart Road, Hennessy Road, Times Square, Sharp Street [yue; zh-tw], Leighton Road, Queen's Road East, the Racing Museum [ja; zh-tw] and Wong Nai Chung Road.

The area under this flyover was once visited by the second installment of Canadian television reality competition series, The Amazing Race Canada, where the U-Turn of the third leg was located.

Villain hitting

The area under the Canal Road Flyover, adjacent to Hennessy Road, is known for the old ladies who offer villain hitting services, in which personal enemies are cursed by beating pieces of paper representing them. The practice is especially popular during king chat (ging jat) (typically in March).