Editing Central–Mid-Levels escalator (section)

==History==
[[File:興建中的登山電梯.jpg|thumb|Central–Mid-Levels escalators under construction in the early 1990s]]

=== Origins ===
The project was first publicly mooted in the early 1980s. The government found that much of the east-west traffic in the area arose from north-south travel demand, as the steep topography did not allow for major roads to be built straight up the hill. There was talk of linking Central and Mid-Levels with escalators, a [[monorail]], or a [[Cable railway|cable-car]] system.<ref name="gotowork">{{cite news|last1=Lo|first1=Francis|title=Go to work – by escalator|work=South China Morning Post|date=28 February 1982|page=1}}</ref>

In late 1982, private consultants Peter Y.S. Pun and Associates and [[MVA Asia]] were commissioned to investigate traffic improvement measures in Central.<ref name="privatefirm">{{cite news|last1=Li|first1=Francis|title=Private firm could run Mid-Levels escalator|work=South China Morning Post|date=30 March 1984|page=18}}</ref> In their report entitled ''A Study of the Transport Requirements of the Mid-Levels and Central District'', the consultant recommended, among other things, to build an "escalator assisted pedestrian route" linking Mid-Levels to the existing [[Central Elevated Walkway]] system and a new bus terminus that they proposed should be built on the site of the [[Central Market, Hong Kong|Central Market]].<ref name="ambitious">{{cite news|title=Ambitious traffic plans for Central|work=South China Morning Post|date=24 February 1984|page=14}}</ref><ref name="privatefirm"/> This proposal was well-received by Mid-Levels residents.<ref name="thumbsup">{{cite news|last1=Lau|first1=C.K.|title=Thumbs up for Central escalators|work=South China Morning Post|date=9 April 1984|page=14}}</ref>

=== Construction and opening ===
The [[Highways Department]] commissioned [[Maunsell|Maunsell Consultants Asia]] to draw up a detailed design for the system.<ref name="plananddesign">{{cite journal|last1=Garrett|first1=Richard J.|title=The hillside escalator link in Hong Kong – planning and design|journal=Highways and Transportation|date=January 1992|volume=39|issue=1|pages=25–27}}</ref> The [[Executive Council of Hong Kong|Executive Council]] approved the project on 16 March 1990.<ref name="risesto100m">{{cite news|last1=Lee|first1=Jacqueline|title=Mid-Levels link rises to $100m|work=South China Morning Post|date=17 March 1990|page=3}}</ref> Construction began at the end of February 1991, and was carried out by a joint venture between Hong Kong contractor [[Paul Y. Engineering|Paul Y. – ITC Construction]] and the French company [[Sogen]].<ref name="plananddesign"/><ref name="pauly">{{cite web|title=Central Mid-Levels Escalator and Walkway System|url=http://www.pyengineering.com/en-us/projects/details/53|publisher=Paul Y. Engineering|accessdate=24 May 2018}}</ref><ref name="awarded">{{cite news|last1=Lau|first1=Jeremy|title=$186m Central escalator contract awarded|work=South China Morning Post|date=23 February 1991}}</ref> It took two and a half years to build, and opened to the public at 6:00&nbsp;am on 15 October 1993.<ref name="fitsandstarts">{{cite news|last1=Wiseman|first1=Alison|last2=Choy|first2=Monique|last3=Hills|first3=Jonathan|title=New link sets off in fits and starts|work=South China Morning Post|date=16 October 1993|page=3}}</ref>

The opening of the escalator fuelled the proliferation of new restaurants and other commercial operations in the intermediate levels, and contributed to the development of the "[[Soho, Hong Kong|SoHo]]" entertainment district. New businesses opened up in the first or second floors of existing buildings, and added signage to attract escalator riders.<ref name="storiesbehind">{{cite news|last1=DeWolf|first1=Christopher|title=Stories behind Hong Kong districts: SoHo before the escalator|url=http://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2022873/stories-behind-hong-kong-districts-soho-escalator|work=South China Morning Post|date=29 September 2016}}</ref>

=== Capital cost ===
The system cost HK$240&nbsp;million (US$31&nbsp;million) to build, although it was originally approved in March 1990 with a budget of $100&nbsp;million and annual maintenance costs of $950,000.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sunzi1.lib.hku.hk/newspaper/view/16_15.01/68880.pdf|title=Escalator link to Central approved|date=17 March 1990|work=The Standard|accessdate=19 December 2006}}</ref> In November 1996, the [[Director of Audit (Hong Kong)|Director of Audit]] issued a report that called the project a "white elephant", saying that it failed to achieve the primary objective of reducing traffic between the Mid-Levels and Central, as well as over-running its budget by 153 per cent. The Highways Department's poor handling of the project was the main reason for having five cost revisions of the project since the budget had been initially approved. The Director of Audit blamed it for failing to address the risks and complexities associated with the project in the pre-tender estimates, and costs rising because of delays.<ref name="elephant">Yonden Lhatoo, [http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=&art_id=49217&sid=&con_type=1&d_str=19961106&sear_year=1996 Escalator 'a costly white elephant'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522081957/http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=&art_id=49217&sid=&con_type=1&d_str=19961106&sear_year=1996 |date=22 May 2011 }}, ''The Standard'', 6 November 1996</ref> Land resumption costs were also underestimated by $74&nbsp;million (or 180 per cent). The report also points out that a "before-and-after" study by the [[Transport Department (Hong Kong)|Transport Department]] indicated no obvious reduction in traffic congestion.<ref name="elephant" />