Singapore Government Press Release

Media Division, Ministry of Information and The Arts, 36th Storey, PSA Building, 460 Alexandra Road, Singapore 119963. Tel: 3757794/5

SPEECH BY MR MAH BOW TAN MINISTER FOR COMMUNICATIONS AT THE OPENING OF THE NICOLL HIGHWAY EXTENSION AND ESPLANADE BRIDGE ON FRIDAY, 1 AUGUST 1997 AT 7.30PM ___________________________________________________________

It gives me great pleasure to be here this evening on the occasion of the opening of the Nicoll Highway extension and the Esplanade Bridge.

2 With the recent Parliament debate on COEs, RPS and ERP, I am happy that I am able to turn the spotlight on another major aspect of the work of the Land Transport Authority, which is expansion of road-capacity.

3 The Nicoll Highway extension and the Esplanade Bridge is one of the more important road expansion projects to be completed by the LTA recently. This highway extension has two carriageways with four lanes each to ensure smooth-flowing traffic. It is linked to the Esplanade Bridge which spans a total of 290-metres over the Marina Bay, offering motorists a breathtaking view of the seafront.

4 With the opening of the Esplanade Bridge, motorists can travel directly from Nicoll Highway to the city south of Singapore River. They will no longer need to navigate the roads around the Padang, namely St Andrew's Road, and Connaught Drive to get to their destinations. This will ease traffic flow tremendously in the area, especially during evening peak hours.

5 In keeping with the ambience of this government and business centre of Singapore, particular attention has been paid to the design of the Esplanade Bridge. At night, when it is fully lit, the bridge, with its unique design, special street lamps and walkway lights, will be seen in its full splendour. It is set to become a well-known and popular landmark for both Singaporeans and tourists.

6 The completion of this major project will also facilitate access to what will be a new hub of activity in the vicinity - the Esplanade Theatres on the Bay.

The additional road capacity will also be timely to meet the expected increase in traffic when Esplanade Theatres open in 2001. The name Esplanade Bridge is therefore a good choice for the bridge.

7 With this new road system, we can look forward to the area around Padang being a more pleasant locality for pedestrians. To further enhance the ambience of the area, LTA will be converting one lane of Connaught Drive, adjacent to the Padang, into a pedestrian mall. The atmosphere here will almost hark back to the good old days, when Connaught Drive was not such a busy road, when parents would bring their children here to run around and soak in the waterfront sights, and couples would stroll hand-in-hand whispering to each other in the evening breeze.

8 The LTA is now actively working on other road development projects in the Central Business District. The road network around Marina South will be further developed. This will be in conjunction with Phase 1 of the Urban Redevelopment Authority's proposed sale of sites in the area.

Construction works are expected to commence in the first quarter of 1998 and scheduled for completion by mid 1999. It will involve the extension of Upper Pickering Street and the construction of smaller roads perpendicular to it.

9 LTA's road projects in other parts of Singapore are also progressing smoothly. For example, contracts have just been awarded for the construction of the viaduct along Upper Serangoon Road, the four-tier interchanges at the junction of Braddell and Bartley Roads and the interchange at the junction of Upper Paya Lebar and Boundary Roads. Residents in the area will be pleased to know that Phase 1 of the contract, which involves the underpass at the junction of Bartley and Braddell Roads, will be completed in mid-1999.

10 Other major road projects in the pipeline include the conversion of selected road junctions into grade separated interchanges. Road capacity will be improved to significantly relieve local congestion at two junctions, namely the Queensway and Commonwealth Avenue junction and the junction of PIE and Adam Road.

These two projects, like the underpass at the junction of Braddell and Bartley Roads, are part of the Outer Ring Road System, a series of roads around the outer perimeter of the city, which motorists can use to reach their destinations without going through the city.

11 A vehicular underpass will be built at the Queensway/Commonweath Avenue junction. As part of the plan to upgrade the PIE/Adam Road junction, the Adam Flyover at this junction will be reconstructed. The PIE below the Flyover will be widened from three lanes to four lanes, in both directions. Tenders for these projects will be called soon and works are expected to take place over the next three to five years.

12 Significant improvements have been made by the LTA to our road transport system since its inception in September 1995. We will continue to expand the road network in the years ahead. But because we are short of land, we have to be careful about how we use it.

That is why, at the same time, we will proceed with ERP to manage the use of the roads that will be built, so that we can continue to allow the population of cars, buses, taxis, trucks and motorcycles to increase, without getting grid-locked.

13 In the years ahead, LTA will its hands full as it tackles the problems ahead. I am confident that with the support and understanding of Singaporeans, LTA can make tangible improvements to our transport system to achieve our vision of a world class transport system.

14 On this note, I declare the Nicoll Highway extension and Esplanade Bridge open.