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STRUCTURES DESIGN MANUAL

FOR HIGHWAYS AND RAILWAYS

Third Edition

AMENDMENT NO. 2/2011

July 2011

HIGHWAYS DEPARTMENT

The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

AMD. 2/2011

STRUCTURES DESIGN MANUAL

FOR HIGHWAYS AND RAILWAYS

Third Edition

AMENDMENT NO. 2/2011

AMENDMENT DETAILS
The following amendment is made :1.

CHAPTER 12
Pages 64, 65, 70 and 71 of the Structures Design Manual for Highways and
Railways are replaced by Replacement Sheets 1 to 4 respectively.

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Parapets shall be at least 1100 mm high measured from the surface of the adjoining
footway. In areas of high prevailing winds or where the headroom under a footbridge for
pedestrian use only is greater than 10 m, the height of the parapet may be increased to 1.3 m.
Handrails must be provided on both sides of all ramps and stairways, and
consideration shall be given to the provision of central handrails on stairways 4000 mm wide
or more. The handrails shall be fixed at a height of 850 mm above the nose of a step, as at
greater height than this the elderly as well as the disabled have great difficulty in reaching the
rail. At landings, handrails shall be set at a height between 850 mm to 950 mm above floor
and extend horizontally not less than 300 mm beyond the first and last nosings of every flight
of steps or beyond the ends of a ramp. In cross section, handrail shall provide a proper grip of
32 mm to 40 mm diameter.
Handrails shall be fabricated from austenitic stainless steel with a minimum of 2.5%
molybdenum composition, or non-ferrous material such as aluminium alloy. If non-ferrous
components are used with steel fixings, insulation must be provided to prevent galvanic
corrosion. Materials used shall comply with the followings :
Wrought stainless steel

: BS 970 Part 1 and BS EN 10250-4, grade 316 S 33

Flat rolled stainless steel : BS EN 10048 and BS EN 10259, grade 316 S 33

12.9

Stainless steel tubes

: BS 6323 Part 1 and BS EN 10296-2, designation LW

23 GZF(S)

Stainless steel washers

: BS EN 10258 and BS EN 10259, grade 316 S 33

Stainless steel fasteners

: BS EN ISO 3506-1 and BS EN ISO 3506-2, grade A480

DRAINAGE

Subway floors shall be cambered to fall to each side at not less than 2.5% and shall
be provided with longitudinal fall of not less than 0.67%. Gullies and slotted channels shall
be provided at appropriate points to catch stormwater entering subways or underpasses, and
convey it to the nearby stormwater drainage system, if necessary via a pump house provided
for the purpose. To minimize the risk of blockage, an inspection pit with sump shall be
provided at all changes in the direction of drain pipes in a subway/underpass. To minimize the
risk of flooding due to trapped rubbish blockage, overflow weirs shall be provided at
appropriate points in a subway/underpass. The overflow weirs should be in a form of drainage
inlet at the subway wall at a height slightly above the floor level.
Footbridge roofs and decks shall be cambered to fall to each side and be provided
with a longitudinal fall of not less than 0.67% unless otherwise approved by Chief Highway
Engineer/Bridges and Structures.
All pipe runs shall be capable of being rodded. An accessible rodding eye must be
provided at each turning point in the drain pipe run. Rodding plug shall be fabricated of
UPVC to facilitate maintenance. To facilitate rodding, stormwater drainage pipes for
footbridges and subways shall not be smaller than 100 mm in diameter. Metal grating to
Replacement Sheet 1 of 4

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surface channels, where provided, shall be of the easily replaceable hinged type and fabricated
from cast iron or stainless steel.
To avoid blockage of drain pipes, a corrosion resistant dome shaped grating or grille
shall be provided at all inlets on roof covers. A recess or basin shall be provided around the
grating for the water to flow in smoothly. The surface drainage system on covers adjacent to
residential buildings shall be designed to minimize the chance of blockage by litter and be
easily cleared.
Structural steel and bare structural concrete components shall not be used as a
drainage channel even for draining away occasionally seeping water. In hollow box beam
decks, void drains shall be provided through the soffit at the lower end of the span. All
parapet upstands shall be effectively sealed to prevent leakage. To reduce the chance of
water staining the concrete surfaces, drip grooves shall be provided under the edges of the
covers, decks, stairways, ramps and at transverse joints.
During severe rainstorms, floodwater from adjacent catchments may enter the
subways or underpasses via overland flow and accumulate there. In designing subways and
underpasses including the capacities of associated water pumps, due consideration shall be
given to minimize the risk of serious flooding due to overland flow from adjacent catchments.
To reduce the risk of flooding due to malfunction of water pump(s), standby water pump(s)
shall be installed as appropriate.

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The head of all stairways and ramps of subways shall be raised 150 mm above
surrounding ground level to prevent the entry of stormwater. For stairways, an additional
equal riser shall be incorporated. This shall contribute towards the total number of risers
allowable in a flight. The additional step shall be sloped to the ground by means of a ramp
with gradient complying with Clause 12.4. Ramps shall be extended to a level at least 150
mm above surrounding ground level and sloped down to the footpath at ground level. For low
lying areas prone to serious flooding, consideration shall be given to raise the head of all
stairways and ramps of subways even higher than the aforementioned as appropriate.
The ground level lift entrance and the finished floor level of machine rooms shall be
generally 150 mm above the adjacent ground level to prevent ingress of water and shall be
ramped down to ground level. At locations prone to flooding or near the harbour side, the lift
ground floor entrance and machine room finished floor shall be raised above the design flood
level if practically feasible. The drainage details near the lift entrance at deck level shall also
be designed to avoid ingress of water into the lift shaft.
A proper drainage system, involving the use of pumps where necessary, shall be
provided to prevent flooding of the lift pit and lift machine room from groundwater or
rainwater. A water level sensing device shall be installed at the lift pit sump chamber. In
the event of flooding being detected, the lift homing operation shall be activated and a fault
signal shall be transmitted through the telemetry system to the remote monitoring centre.
Slope within a pedestrian subway catchment area must be properly protected and
drained so as to avoid the possibility of a washout of silt. Sand traps and grilles shall be
provided wherever water is discharged into the surface channels of paved areas or into
stormwater pipes to avoid flooding caused by blockage of the subway pumping system.
Planting within a pedestrian subway catchment area shall be of the evergreen broadleaf type to
reduce the amount of fallen leaves which can easily block drains and cause flooding. Catchpits
shall have desilting sumps not less than 250 mm deep. They shall be covered and grilles shall also
Replacement Sheet 2 of 4

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Electrical and Mechanical Services shall be obtained at an early stage with respect to the
details and requirements of the proposed lifts.
To allow a wheelchair to turn inside a lift, the minimum internal lift car dimensions
shall be 1500 mm by 1400 mm wide with a clear minimum door width of 850 mm. The clear
height of the lift car shall be 2300 mm minimum.
Floor finishes shall be non-slip complying with Clause 12.12. A tubular stainless
steel handrail shall be provided on all sides (except sides with access door) of the lift car,
extending to within 150 mm of all corners. The handrail shall be 950 mm above finished
floor level.

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People waiting at lift entrance should not cause obstruction to the normal pedestrian
flow. A lift waiting area with cover shall be provided at lift entrance.
The horizontal clearance between a lift shaft enclosure and a road carriageway shall
be in accordance with the TPDM. Barrier fences shall be provided and the lift structure shall
be designed to resist collision loads.
The lift shaft and lift car walls shall be glazed as appropriate to minimise visual
impact and to facilitate security monitoring of the lift car interior. Glazing shall be clear
toughened glass to provide resistance to damage by vandals and accidental breakage.
Notwithstanding, lift glazing creates greenhouse effect and generates substantial energy
demand for air conditioning and ventilation. To reduce the greenhouse effect, lift glazing
shall be "low-emissivity" glass to lower the rate of solar heat transmission into the lift shaft
and lift car. Due consideration should also be given to the following energy saving measures :
(a) reduction of transparent areas subject to agreement by Highways Department,
Transport Department, the police, etc but without jeopardizing the security
monitoring of the lift car interior;
(b) use of opaque walls on appropriate sides and orientating the remaining glazed
sides to the south or east, where sunshine is less, if possible;
(c) use of opaque roof top;
(d) measures described in Clause 12.15.2;
(e) other measures such as sun screen provision, as appropriate.
The lower part of full-height glass panel in the lift car shall be translucent and
provided with skirting.
Access to clean interior surfaces of the glass panels of the lift shaft and lift car shall
be provided.
Provision shall be made for hoisting device including lifting beams or eyes within the
lift shaft and the machine rooms. Lift machine rooms shall be above ground with good access
for vehicles nearby and be provided with adequate artificial lighting and ventilation.

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12.15.2 Ventilation
At locations where the lift shaft is exposed to direct sunlight for long periods,
mechanical ventilation of the lift shaft will be required and the provision of shading elements
to reduce heat load shall be considered. Ventilation fans fitted with weatherproof louvres
shall be installed at high level at the lift shaft wall to remove the heated air from the lift shaft
enclosure. Ventilation fans shall not be installed at the roof top to avoid water inflow into the
lift shaft. Stainless steel inlet louvres fitted with removable filters to trap dust particles shall
be installed at low level in the lift shaft to permit replacement air to flow into the shaft.

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Ventilation fans shall be installed at the lift car ceiling. If air-conditioning is

provided where situation warrants, a mechanical or an electrical drain system shall be installed
to drain the condensation from the air-conditioning system.

12.15.3 Surveillance and Emergency Equipment

A telemetry system shall be provided for transmitting lift fault signals automatically
through the telephone network to a 24-hour manned remote monitoring centre, which shall
contact the respective lift maintenance company to attend to the lift fault.
An emergency alarm button, an intercom and a CCTV camera shall be provided in
the lift car, which shall be connected to an intercom, a CCTV display monitor and an
indication light placed at each of the lift entrances outside the lift. The emergency alarm
button shall be connected to an alarm bell placed at the lift car top and an alarm bell placed at
the ground floor lift entrance or lift pit.
The intercom system shall comprise a 2-way speaker to allow people inside the lift
car to communicate with people outside the lift at the landing call panel.
A battery back-up system capable of maintaining a power supply to the emergency
load for a minimum period of two hours shall be provided.

12.16

TACTILE WARNING STRIPS

Tactile warning strips for people with visual impairment shall be provided at the top,
bottom and landings of ramps and staircases in accordance with TPDM Volume 6 Chapter 8
and also at lift entrances. They shall be made of durable and non-slippery materials and
should contrast visually with the adjoining surfaces to provide clear indication of the routes to
people with low vision.

Replacement Sheet 4 of 4

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