It gives me great pleasure to be here this morning to officiate the opening of the West Coast Highway Extension as well as the upgraded Jalan Buroh. It is good to see so many of you here. It is indeed a unique experience to take a leisurely walk on a completed Highway and enjoy the view at this level before it is opened for traffic. The next time you are on this stretch of the road, you will have to be in a vehicle and I am sure the experience will be quite different.

2.                  Indeed, this significant milestone event in our land transport history aptly calls for a celebration. Where we are standing now, the 5-km long West Coast Highway Extension is the longest viaduct in Singapore. The completion of this stretch of highway and the major arterial roads around this area marks the last segment of a multi-year plan to improve the road system in the south-western part of Singapore. The improved road network system here and the greater connectivity to other parts of Singapore will greatly benefit commuters and the port users.

3.                  The works for this 20-km stretch from Keppel Road to Jalan Buroh, which cost $385 million, commenced in 1998 and were carried out in stages. Since 2002, completed sections were progressively opened to traffic. These included the viaduct along Telok Blangah Road & Pasir Panjang Road, the widening of West Coast Highway and Jalan Buroh, bridges across Jurong River & Pandan River, and flyovers at the Penjuru Road & Jurong Pier Road interchanges. 

4.                  With the opening of the West Coast Highway Extension and the upgraded Jalan Buroh today, motorists will be able to experience smoother traffic as they travel on the elevated sections, bypassing the traffic lights and junctions on the at-grade roads. Like me, I am sure all motorists appreciate time savings on the road. If you travel from Keppel Road to Jalan Buroh, you would be glad to know that it can save you up to some 15 minutes in travel time. This is a 30% reduction in travel time during peak hours, a journey which would previously have taken some 50 mins. 

5.         But motorists are not the only ones to benefit from these projects. In implementing the road upgrading works, LTA has also taken the opportunity to improve pedestrian facilities, such as the pedestrian over-head bridges, street lightings and footpaths.

6.         However, this project was not without its problems and challenges. One of them was the delay of the works on the West Coast Highway Extension when the then contractor ran into financial difficulties.  LTA had to eventually step in to appoint a new contractor for the project in August 2005, before the works could resume. 

7.         In this regard, I would especially like to thank the local residents and businesses for their understanding and patience over the years.  Our grassroots organizations have put in much effort to facilitate communications between LTA and the local communities to promote understanding and support for these projects. 

8.         While these road projects are now completed, we still need the continued support of the grassroots and communities. This is because the work for the Circle Line Stage 5, running through the Telok Blangah, Pasir Panjang and West Coast Highway area, are in progress. When they are completed by 2010, it will bring even better accessibility and convenience to the residents and businesses in this area.

9.         As part of LTA’s community involvement program to actively promote charitable activities, LTA is raising funds today for its adopted charity, the Muscular Dystrophy Association Singapore. The aim is to purchase a passenger van to ferry the wheel-chair bound children. As this is for a good cause, I would appeal to all of you to give them your full support. 

10.       On this note, it is my pleasure to declare the West Coast Highway Extension open and wish all of you a fun and memorable experience as you become part of the select few to walk on this viaduct!