There are 16 road tunnels in Hong Kong. They play an important role in the passenger and goods flow.
The Government owns 11 of these tunnels, namely the Lion Rock Tunnel, Aberdeen Tunnel, Kai Tak Tunnel, Shing Mun Tunnels, Tseung Kwan O Tunnel, Cheung Tsing Tunnel, Cross-Harbour Tunnel, Eagle's Nest Tunnel, Sha Tin Heights Tunnel, Tai Wai Tunnel and Nam Wan Tunnel. These 11 government tunnels are managed and operated by private companies under management contracts awarded by the Transport Department.
Four other tunnels, namely the Eastern Harbour Crossing, Western Harbour Crossing, Tate's Cairn Tunnel and Tai Lam Tunnel, were built by private sector under "build, operate and transfer" franchises and are operated by private companies. The franchise of Eastern Harbour Crossing will expire on 6 August 2016.
The Discovery Bay Tunnel was built and is operated by a private company.
The Tsing Ma Control Area is a strategic link between the Hong Kong International Airport and the rest of Hong Kong. Major infrastructures of this control area include the Lantau Link (i.e. Tsing Ma Bridge and Kap Shui Mun Bridge), Ting Kau Bridge and Cheung Tsing Tunnel. The Tsing Sha Control Area is a strategic link between Sha Tin, West Kowloon and Tsing Yi. Tai Wai Tunnel, Sha Tin Heights Tunnel, Eagle's Nest Tunnel, Stonecutters Bridge and Nam Wan Tunnel are the major infrastructures of this control area.