New transport corridors scheduled after Paya Lebar Airbase moves
22 Aug 2013|4,484 views
The Straits Times reported that new transport corridors in the North-East and East are in store after the military air base moves out of Paya Lebar. The relocation of the Paya Lebar Airbase, expected to happen after 2030, will free up 800ha of land for redevelopment.
Transport experts said yesterday that an MRT line, as well as major roads and expressways, could be built through the land freed up by the relocation.
National University of Singapore transport researcher Professor Lee Der Horng said that the proposed Cross Island MRT Line from Jurong to Tampines, slated to be ready by 2030, would previously have had to go around the airbase rather than through or under it due to security reasons.
"But now that the airbase will be relocated, there's no need to compromise (on the line's route). It could also be built cheaper and faster," Prof. Lee said.
Nanyang Technological University adjunct associate professor Gopinath Menon, a retired Land Transport Authority planner, noted that parts of the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) had to be built underground because of the airbase.
"The KPE could be moved to the surface level," he said, adding that any new township built on the vacated land would require surface-level access roads. That township could also get its own MRT station.
The Ministry of National Development (MND) said yesterday that the relocation was 'a large-scale endeavour and will take time to realise'. It also added that the specific new development plans for Paya Lebar Airbase and the surrounding area will be shaped over time.
The Straits Times reported that new transport corridors in the North-East and East are in store after the military air base moves out of Paya Lebar. The relocation of the Paya Lebar Airbase, expected to happen after 2030, will free up 800ha of land for redevelopment.
Transport experts said yesterday that an MRT line, as well as major roads and expressways, could be built through the land freed up by the relocation.
National University of Singapore transport researcher Professor Lee Der Horng said that the proposed Cross Island MRT Line from Jurong to Tampines, slated to be ready by 2030, would previously have had to go around the airbase rather than through or under it due to security reasons.
"But now that the airbase will be relocated, there's no need to compromise (on the line's route). It could also be built cheaper and faster," Prof. Lee said.
Nanyang Technological University adjunct associate professor Gopinath Menon, a retired Land Transport Authority planner, noted that parts of the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) had to be built underground because of the airbase.
"The KPE could be moved to the surface level," he said, adding that any new township built on the vacated land would require surface-level access roads. That township could also get its own MRT station.
The Ministry of National Development (MND) said yesterday that the relocation was 'a large-scale endeavour and will take time to realise'. It also added that the specific new development plans for Paya Lebar Airbase and the surrounding area will be shaped over time.
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