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SPEECH BY ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR YAACOB IBRAHIM

PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY

(COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY)

AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE EXTENSION OF

CRAWFORD STREET TO REPUBLIC AVENUE ON SATURDAY 10 JULY 1999 AT 10 AM ______

Mr Loh Meng See, Adviser to Grassroots Organisations Grassroots leaders of West and Kampong Glam

Distinguished Guests Ladies and Gentlemen

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Good Morning

1 I am pleased to be here this morning to open the extension of Crawford Street to Republic Avenue. This is a new major link into the city. It gives motorists from the , Bendemeer, Geylang and areas an alternative route to the Marina Centre.

The extension of Crawford Street to Republic Avenue

2 The 1.5-kilometre road extension comprises a three-lane dual carriageway that starts from the junction of Crawford Street and Beach Road, continues under the Merdeka Bridge all the way to the reclaimed land area of Marina Promenade and then onto Republic Avenue leading to Marina Centre. The extension up to the underpass will be named Crawford Street, while the remaining stretch will be called Republic Avenue.

Construction Challenges

3 I am told that the construction of this road extension has been done under very challenging site conditions. This is because part of this road extension is an underpass that has to be built under the 43-year old Merdeka Bridge which stands on soft marine clay.

4 I understand that at times, the engineers had to carry out the retaining wall works as close as half a metre from the foundation piles supporting Merdeka Bridge. But many of us who use the Merdeka Bridge every day did not realise that there had been all these work going on under our wheels. Neither were we aware of the painstaking care that had gone on to ensure that the traffic flow on Merdeka Bridge continued uninterrupted all throughout the construction period.

5 This is indeed an impressive achievement and I want to commend the LTA engineers and contractors who have managed to complete the project without disrupting the traffic flow on Merdeka Bridge.

Travel Speed

6 The opening of the newly extended Crawford Street and Republic Avenue will give motorists a faster and more direct access into Marina Centre. They will enjoy a significant reduction in travel time. Page 2 yi19990710d

7 Motorists can now travel from Bendemeer Road directly to Republic Avenue and Temasek Avenue, without having to pass through various traffic junctions at Bencoolen Street and Road. With less traffic lights in your way, LTA expects that motorists taking this route would be able to travel at a higher speed of up to 31 kilometres per hour during peak hours. This is an improvement compared to the current travelling speed of 21 kilometres per hour when you use .

8 LTA also estimated that motorists travelling from Guillemard Road or Geylang Road to Temasek Avenue would enjoy some 5-10 minutes in time savings. They will be able to bypass traffic junctions on Ophir Road, Road and Bras Basah Road to reach Temasek Avenue. Motorists can look forward to moving at a speed of up to 38 kilometres per hour, compared to the current speed of 18 kilometres per hour.

The larger plan

9 The new extension is in fact, part of a larger plan to improve the road network. In land scarce Singapore, it is important that we continue to seek new and innovative solutions to solve traffic problems. This road extension is one of the innovative road projects conceived to reduce traffic congestion by fully utilising existing road space. This project sees the engineers creating a new road in the space under a bridge. The underpass carries traffic under the bridge while existing traffic continues to ply on the bridge. The result is a two-level road system with an increased capacity without much additional land intake.

10 LTA is also working on other road projects to increase the capacity of our road network. These include expanding the capacity of the CTE/Braddell Road Interchange by building an underpass below an existing flyover; and at the end of this year, LTA will also start work on the widening of Upper Road from Clementi Road to Jalan Anak Bukit. This road system will be another example of a two level road system involving an underpass and a flyover. This is part of LTA’s ongoing effort to expand the road network, increasing the capacity of roads while minimising the use of land.

11 On the other hand, it is obvious that there are limits to increasing road space. That is why, we will have to continue using demand-management tools like Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) to keep our roads free flowing.

12 ERP is an innovative way to manage road usage and control congestion on our roads. It was implemented last year to replace the manual road pricing schemes in the Restricted Zone and the three expressways. By now, motorists are used to seeing ERP gantries along the way. Many have consciously adjusted their travel patterns. This has resulted in smoother traffic flow and more optimal use of our roads.

13 I believe having seen the benefits, our motorists agree that the ERP is necessary to free the roads from congestion. They do understand that keeping roads Page 3 yi19990710d and expressways free-flowing is necessary for the efficient movement of our people and goods. Only with an efficient transport network can we maintain our competitive advantage. This is why the Government will proceed with Phase 2 of ERP to be launched in September this year. This phase will seek to address the traffic congestion on major roads and expressways outside the central business district.

Conclusion

14 Before I conclude, I would like to thank the motorists and especially the residents of Beach Road and Kampong Glam, for bearing with the dust, noise and traffic diversion over the construction period. To all of you, a big “Thank you”.

15 On this note, I declare the extension of Crawford Street to Republic Avenue open.

Thank you.

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