Changi Coast Road to be replaced

Changi Coast Road, a long scenic route much loved by cyclists, will be replaced by a new surface road that will hug the eastern coastline.

The existing road and park connector beside it will be paved over and become part of Changi Airport's integrated airfield that links Runway 2 and Runway 3.

Currently, it runs alongside the airfield for about 6km.

A new park connector will also be built along with the new road, which will merge with Tanah Merah Coast Road, run along the eastern coastline and then loop back towards Nicoll Drive.

Works on these changes are expected to start in the second half of next year, said the Land Transport Authority's (LTA) deputy chief executive Chua Chong Kheng on Friday.

Mr Chua did not say when the new road will be ready but The Straits Times understands it has to be completed by 2018.

Only then can the airport's Runway 3 be linked to Runway 2, a project observers say would take about two years.

Changi Airport is scheduled to have a three-runway system by around 2020, a move that will reinforce Singapore's status as a regional aviation hub.

Meanwhile, the existing Changi Coast Road will stay open until the new road is ready.

This new road is estimated to run for 5km to 6km longer than the stretch of Changi Coast Road that it will replace.

It is likely to give motorists access to the future Terminal 5.

Mr Chua said it will be wider than the existing road, which has two lanes in each direction.

The LTA earlier considered converting Changi Coast Road into a partially depressed roadway or tunnel, but found that to be less feasible than a new surface road.

Mr Chua noted that aside from the higher cost of going underground, roads below the surface would require ventilation buildings.

These ventilation structures could go up to 40m in height, and would not only take up space but also affect safety.

There are also other safety and security issues to consider if the road runs beneath the airfield, he added. "If there are emergencies in the tunnel, you don't want to be evacuating onto the airfield."

Avid cyclist Jolly Liew, 47, is glad there will be a "replacement road, so our 'playground' will still be there".

Another cyclist, Mr Sidney Lim, 49, wants the authorities to make the new road safer for cyclists.

"If it's a longer route, that's even better. Cyclists here are always looking for a longer loop.

Maybe the LTA can consider setting aside a lane for cyclists at certain times on weekends," he said.

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