New North-South Expressway given the green light

Singapore's 11^th expressway - with construction expected to start from 2013 and finish by 2020 - will run parallel to the Central Expressway (CTE) to serve the north-south corridor, as announced by the LTA on Wednesday.

The NSE will alleviate the current traffic load on the CTE when completed, according to a joint statement yesterday from the Land Transport Authority and the Singapore Land Authority (SLA).

It is expected to reduce travel time from the north and north-east parts of Singapore to the city during peak hours by up to 30 per cent.

It will serve traffic with up to three lanes in both directions, and will include viaducts and tunnels. It will provide a new high-speed link from residential estates such as Woodlands, Sembawang, Yishun, Ang Mo Kio, Bishan and Toa Payoh to the city centre. The NSE will also connect to existing expressways, such as the Seletar Expressway, and major arterial roads such as Marymount Road.

Careful planning has been conducted to determine the alignment, planning and engineering requirements necessary to cater to the densely populated areas that the NSE will run through.

Efforts have been made to ensure minimal impact to the public.

Planning, engineering and alignment studies for the southern segment of the NSE are still ongoing.

Now, the CTE - the only expressway serving the north-south corridor - experiences heavy traffic in the northern and central part of Singapore during peak hours. Even with the CTE widening project being completed by end 2011, traffic along this north-south corridor is expected to continue growing.

It is estimated to cost $7 billion to $8 billion to build the 21km expressway.