Marina Coastal Expressway
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article contains information about a planned or expected future road. It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change as the road's construction or completion approaches and more information becomes available. |
 |
 |
|
| Marina Coastal Expressway | |
| Length | 5 kilometres (3.11 miles) |
|---|---|
| Direction | North - West |
| Starting/Ending at | Tanjong Rhu (KPE, ECP) Keppel (AYE) |
| Main areas passed through | Marina Bay |
| Construction dates | 2008 – 2013 |
| Expressway intersected | KPE, ECP, AYE |
| Development cost | S$2.5 billion |
| No. of tunnels | 1 |
The Marina Coastal Expressway (Abbreviation: MCE; simplified Chinese: 滨海高速公路; pinyin: Bīnhǎi Gāosù Gōnglù; Malay: Lebuhraya Pantai Marina) is the second newest of Singapore's network of expressways, and is slated for construction commencement in 2008 and completion at the end of 2013.[1][2]
Contents |
[edit] Route
The 5 kilometres (3.11 miles) MCE will connect the southern end of the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) and its junction with the East Coast Parkway to the eastern end of Ayer Rajah Expressway. This links the eastern and western parts of Singapore to the New Downtown, currently being developed in the Marina Bay area. The MCE, with five lanes in each direction, would handle the large number of commuters to be drawn to the offices, homes and recreational attractions there. It will also open access to the proposed Marina Cruise Centre in Marina South and the existing Marina South Ferry Terminal.[2]
[edit] Construction
The expressway will comprise a 3.5 kilometres (2.17 miles) underground tunnel, while the rest will be at grade or depressed, with a scenic view of the Straits of Singapore.[3] The underground tunnel includes a 420-metre stretch that will duck under the seabed, 150 m away from the Marina Barrage. This poses particular engineering challenges in the tunnel construction as large amounts of water will be let out from the barrage from time to time.[4] At its deepest point, the expressway will lie about 20 metres (65.62 feet) under the seabed.[2]
The MCE will be Singapore's most expensive expressway, which will cost S$2.5 billion, about S$500 million per kilometre. The Land Transport Authority explained that materials like sand and steel had gone up in price since 2001, when works for the KPE first began. This is why the MCE, though less than half the length of the 12 kilometres (7.46 miles) KPE, cost more. The KPE, with parts of it running under canals and rivers, cost S$1.74 billion. The construction of the MCE would also require undersea dredging. More than 22 hectares of land will be reclaimed to build the MCE.[2]
When the MCE is constructed, the segment of East Coast Parkway between Ayer Rajah Expressway and Benjamin Sheares Bridge will be downgraded to a four-lane arterial road and realigned.[1][3] The present East Coast Parkway blocks the expansion of the city southwards, and hence the revised layout allows the city to expand towards the New Downtown.[4]
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ a b "Government Approves the Construction of MCE", Land Transport Authority, 27 July 2007
- ^ a b c d T. Rajan. "New expressway in Marina to be ready by 2013", The Straits Times, 28 July 2007.
- ^ a b "Annex A: Alignment Map for MCE", Land Transport Authority, 27 July 2007
- ^ a b "ECP to be realigned for new Marina Coast Expressway", Channel NewsAsia, 27 July 2007
[edit] External links
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||
