Parts of Loyang Avenue, Pasir Ris Drive 1 to close for works on CRL MRT stations and new viaduct
Sections of two roads in eastern Singapore will be progressively closed starting Sunday as works on a major project to develop the Changi area proceed apace.
The two roads, a section of Loyang Avenue and two stretches of Pasir Ris Drive 1, will be closed until 2029 and 2028 respectively.
As many as 16 bus services will be affected as bus stops along the roads are removed or relocated, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Tuesday.
The major road closures are to facilitate the building of MRT stations on the Cross Island Line (CRL), which is expected to open by 2030.
The closures are also for building a new vehicular viaduct along Loyang Avenue and 3km of new cycling paths in Loyang Avenue, Telok Paku Road, Nicoll Drive, Changi Coast Road and Aviation Park Road.
The first road to close, on Sunday, is the section of Pasir Ris Drive 1 between Pasir Ris Drive 2 and Drive 4, where works on Pasir Ris East MRT station are ongoing.
This will last until the second quarter of 2028, and cars and buses driving on this road will be diverted to Pasir Ris Street 11 and Street 12.
LTA said it has built three pairs of temporary bus stops in Pasir Ris Street 11 and 12 to make sure commuters continue to have access to the nine bus services affected.
If motorists want to avoid Pasir Ris Drive 1 altogether, they can use the newly widened Pasir Ris Drive 3, which runs parallel to Pasir Ris Drive 1, LTA added.
The section of Loyang Avenue between Pasir Ris Drive 3 and Loyang Way will be closed from the first quarter of 2023 to the second quarter of 2029 for works on Loyang MRT station and the new Loyang Viaduct.
Drivers on this road going towards both Tampines Expressway and Changi Village will be diverted to Pasir Ris Drive 3 and Loyang Way, which have been widened, LTA said. Park connectors nearby will also be diverted.
Meanwhile, additional connecting roads have been added between the nearby Pasir Ris Drive 3 and Loyang Lane, Loyang Lane and Loyang Crescent and Loyang Crescent and Loyang Avenue to help spread out the traffic bypassing the affected section.
LTA has also specially constructed a new bus-only corridor in Loyang Way, where seven bus services will be temporarily diverted.
The closure of Loyang Avenue will require LTA to remove six bus stops, it said, while two bus stops will be relocated to the bus-only corridor.
An artist’s impression of Pasir Ris East MRT station on the Cross Island Line, which should open by 2030. PHOTO: LTA
Finally, a relatively small section of Pasir Ris Drive 1 between Pasir Ris Drive 8 and Pasir Ris Central will be closed from the third quarter of 2023 to the fourth quarter of 2028 for construction of the Pasir Ris station on the CRL.
Drivers can use Pasir Ris Central or Pasir Ris Drive 3 to bypass the closure. Seven bus services plying this stretch will be diverted, with details of how this will be done to be released by LTA in coming months.
LTA said the works that are being planned during the road closures are extensive and it has engaged residents and tenants nearby, making adjustments where possible to reduce the impact of the changes.
Circulars and signs will be put up to guide motorists, commuters and pedestrians in the lead-up to the road closures. LTA will put in real-time traffic monitoring measures and respond when necessary if there is a build-up.
With the new CRL stations and key industrial districts such as the Aviation Logistics Park and Loyang Industrial Estate being developed, more people are expected to move to the east. The enhancements to public transport, roads and cycling network are to better support this.
Changi Airport’s Terminal 5 is also opening in the mid-2030s.
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