I am very happy to be here this morning for the official launch of the Kallang/Paya Lebar Expressway project, or KPE, signified by the signing of four civil and three electrical and mechanical contracts.

The KPE will connect the East Coast Parkway (ECP) in the south to the Tampines Expressway (TPE) in the northeast, and intersect the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) in the middle. It will give motorists in Sengkang and Punggol better connectivity to the city centre and other parts of Singapore. Out of curiosity, I asked one of my staff how long it takes him to get to work by car from his home in Sengkang, to our office in Alexandra Road. He told me it takes about 40 minutes, and longer if the CTE is jammed. LTA engineers tell me that, with the KPE in place, his travelling time will be cut by about 10 to 15 minutes, if he uses the new KPE to get onto the ECP and subsequently the AYE. This is a saving of at least 25% in his travelling time.

There would be equally great benefits for motorists going from say, Punggol New Town into the city area. They will see their travelling time reduced by up to 30 per cent with the completion of the KPE. By being an alternative expressway link to the City for motorists in the northeast, the heavy traffic on the CTE will also be reduced.

The KPE is by far the largest road project ever to be undertaken in Singapore. Costing about $1.8 billion, it will be 12 kilometres long when completed in 2007. About 75 per cent, or 9 kilometres, of the KPE will be built underground. It will be the longest road tunnel in South East Asia when completed.

The KPE reflects the Government’s continuing effort to ensure that we have an excellent economic infrastructure. This ambitious project is part of the Government’s objective to put in place a comprehensive road network to support the economy and to meet the needs of our growing population. It is a heavy investment, but the benefits well-justify it.

The KPE will also be the most complex and challenging road project that LTA has ever undertaken. It will require tunnelling works and traffic diversion to be carried out along main roads in major residential and industrial areas. For example, part of the KPE tunnels will run under the Geylang River. We will need to divert the river for the tunnel construction. A 2-kilometre section of the tunnel will also be constructed directly under the Pelton Canal. I am sure you can imagine the complexity and challenges of such a task.

The challenges may be tough but not insurmountable if we can find the right people to do the job. I am pleased that LTA has awarded the major contracts to contractors with both the necessary engineering expertise and proven track record to meet the challenges. I would like to congratulate the successful tenderers of these various contracts. The contractors are SembCorp Engineers and Constructors Pte Ltd, SembCorp-Daewoo JV, Samsung Corporation, Taisei Corporation, Tyco Building Services Pte Ltd, Guthrie Engineering (S) Pte Ltd and Chevalier Singapore Holdings Limited.

Appointing competent contractors for the KPE represents only the first step towards the successful completion of the project. We will also require the cooperation and understanding of the public. During the course of the construction, it is inevitable that residents living along the route of the future KPE will be exposed to noise, dust and inconveniences due to the road diversions. I seek the public’s understanding and hope that they will bear with us for the next four to five years. I am confident that LTA, together with its consultants and contractors, will do their best to ensure the successful completion of the project with minimal inconvenience to the public.

I look forward to seeing the completion of the KPE, the latest addition to Singapore’s expressway network. On this note, I wish all of you a fruitful partnership.

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