My father grew up in the shadows of Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Airport, and one of his childhood memories was the procession of trucks used to transport the thousands of tonnes of rock required to extend the runway out into Victoria Harbour.
The early years
The story of Kai Tak started in 1912 when two businessmen, Ho Kai and Au Tak, formed the Kai Tak Investment Company to reclaim land in Kowloon for development. Unfortunately for them their company failed, but the government acquired the land for use as an airfield, with the first aircraft landing in 1925. In 1935 the first control tower and a hangar were built, with commercial flights commencing the next year.
The airport was then extended during the Second World War by the occupying Japanese, building two concrete runways – 13/31 and 07/25. Damaged by bombing, the end of hostilities saw the airport reopened, and by 1957 runway 13/31 had been extended to 1,664 metres (5,459 ft), while runway 7/25 remained 1,450 metres (4,760 ft).
1952 GovHK map via Gwulo.com
Land reclamation time
Planning to expand Kai Tak airport further commenced in 1952, with the decision made to relocate the airport facilities south and build a new 2,194 meter long runway on land reclaimed from Kowloon Bay.
Photo via Industrial History of Hong Kong Group
Thousands of tonnes of rock were needed to build the new runway.
Dragages Hong Kong photo
With one source being Sung Wong Toi – a hill located just north of the new runway.
The hill being razed to the ground, truckload by truckload.
Photo via Hong Kong Memory
And the other sources of fill were two hills further to the west – Kowloon Tsai Hill (九龍仔山) and Fung Mun Au (風門坳).
Photo via Hong Kong Memory
Located beneath the flight path of the new runway, Kowloon Tsai Hill was cut back to what is now known as ‘Checkerboard Hill’.
While Fung Mun Au (風門坳) was razed to the ground, with Kowloon Tsai Park built on the resulting flat land.
But how to move all that rock?
With the busy streets of Kowloon City located between the quarry sites and the new runway, a dedicated transport route was needed between the two.
And so public roads were taken over so a temporary haul road could be provided.
Excavation of the Kowloon Hills and Sung Wong Toi started on 26 December 1955, but full production was not achieved until 9 March 1956 when a dedicated fenced road corridor was completed through Kowloon. The corridor required the construction of two vehicular bridges and nine pedestrian footbridges allowing the movement of 2,000 trucks a day of granite from the hill removal. The granite boulders were either split to create pitch blocks, or broken up for inclusion in the runway foundation. By the end of March 1956, over 34,000 m3 of material was being placed each day.
The haul road commenced at Inverness Road in the west, and ran along Nga Tsin Wai Road.
Photo via Hong Kong Memory
The first footbridge being located at the Grampian Road intersection to allow pedestrians to cross the fenced off corridor.
Photo via Hong Kong Memory
Public road vehicles had to Hau Wong Road outside the Kowloon City Market to cross, where the haul road pass overhead on a bridge.
Photo via Hong Kong Memory
The haul road continued along Nga Tsin Wai Road, then turned into South Wall Road, continuing south to Prince Edward Road East, which it crossed over by bridge.
Photo via Hong Kong Memory
The haul road was around 800 metres long.
Google Maps
Truckload by truckload, the future runway was reclaimed from the sea.
Dragages Hong Kong photo
By the end of March 1957, over 50% of the reclamation was completed.
Dragages Hong Kong photo
With reclamation completed by the end of 1957.
Photo via Hong Kong Memory
The runway pavement was completed by July 1958, and it was opened to aircraft in September 1958.
Later years
In 1962 a modern passenger terminal building was completed, jetbridges were added in 1970, and and in 1974 the runway was extended to 3,390 meters to cater to the new generation of long haul jet aircraft. Further expansion of the passenger terminal, cargo terminals and aircraft parking areas continued throughout the 1980s.
However the constrained site saw the Hong Kong Government decided to build a new airport – with Chek Lap Kok taking over from Kai Tak on July 1998.
Further reading
