Nicoll Drive being raised to stave off rising sea levels

Nicoll Drive, which hugs the eastern shoreline next to Changi Beach, is being raised in anticipation of rising sea levels triggered by global warming, reported The Straits Times.

The road-raising project - which elevates the 1km, two-lane dual carriage by up to 0.8 metres - is the first Singapore is undertaking to brace itself for the effects of climate change.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said, "As this stretch of road is located near the coastline, the works are being carried out to minimise the risk of seawater inundation as part of the Government's overall coastal protection measures for climate change adaptation."

The authority said the project is expected to be completed by the middle of this year, and added that it had no immediate plans to raise other roads near the coast.

In a recent report, research group Climate Central said that even if the world could limit temperature rise to two degrees Celsius, 130 million people living in coastal areas would be affected by higher sea levels caused by melting polar ice. An interactive Climate Central map showed parts of Changi Airport, Jurong Island and parts of the west coast under water if global temperatures were to rise by two deg Celsius.