Sentosa IR: Reclamation is progress

Isle of Dreams just grows bigger and bigger
Cara van Miriah, Electric New Paper 22 Dec 07;

IF size does matter, then Sentosa is on the right track.

Since the island was picked for tourism development back in 1972, it has grown by two thirds of its original size.

Then, the island, known as Pulau Blakang Mati, was 280 hectares. That is about the size of 420 football fields.

By the '80s, it had enlarged to 360 ha.

And from now until next year, it will expand to a total land area of 463 ha.

It has all been in the pursuit of tourism, with bigger and newer attractions forcing the island to spread out.

The latest reclamation programme, which will be along the north shoreline of Sentosa, is to cater to some of the new attractions that Resorts World at Sentosa (RWS) has to offer under its integrated resort development.

The expansion includes two stretches of reclaimed land at the IR, with one starting just beside the Sentosa Gateway Bridge. The other is at the IR's west zone.


The reclamation works, which started in June, will be finished next year. Currently, about half has been completed.

An RWS spokesman told The New Paper: 'At the west zone, the reclaimed land covers the stretch of man-made beach area right in front of ESPA, a luxury spa and resort.

'Part of the FestiveWalk - the spine of the resort - and part of the Maritime Xperiential Museum will be located on the reclaimed land just beside the Sentosa Gateway Bridge.'

This spectacular expansion of the island has been in progress since 1972 when the Sentosa Leisure Group (SLG), formerly known as Sentosa Development Corporation, was formed to develop the island as a tourist destination.

ATTRACTIONS

Throughout the '70s, attractions began sprouting up across the island - a cable car service linking Mount Faber and Sentosa, Fort Siloso and a wax museum.

At the same time, reclamation works were being carried out on Pulau Hantu, Pulau Seletar, Pulau Ringgit, Sisters Island, Lazarus Island and Buran Darat.

In the '80s, the developments didn't stop there, with the opening of the iconic Musical Fountain, a Pioneers of Singapore museum and a ferry terminal for a ferry service from the mainland.

By late '90s, three resorts - Shangri-La's Rasa Sentosa Resort, Sijori Sentosa Resort and NTUC Sentosa Beach Resort - were rolling out their welcome mats for visitors.

In the last few years, rapid development has also changed the shoreline, with clubs such as Cafe Del Mar, the Siloso Beach Resort with seaview villas and dining amenities along Palawan Beach.

But the rapid mushrooming of these new attractions has led to a boom in the island's infrastructure as it braces itself to open up for more tourists.

The RWS is expecting to draw 15 million visitors in its first year of operations, with about 40,000 visitors a day.

Last year, Sentosa alone saw 5.7 million visitors.

With the opening of RWS in 2010, more than 20 million visitors are expected to visit the island annually.

To cope with the increase in traffic, new roads running parallel to the current Gateway Avenue bridge will be built.

RWS' CEO Mr Tan Hee Teck said the bridge was factored into the resort's blueprint in anticipation of the 'manifold increase' in traffic when the resort opens.

The cost of construction is estimated between $60million and $80m.

On the new roads, a RWS spokesman said: 'There will be two routes with one direct route (with at least two lanes on each side) for those going to and leaving the IR. The roads will lead to the basement carparks at the IR.

'Another route will be used by those visiting Sentosa.'

With a total of 4,100 carpark lots, some will be located at the six hotels in the resort, below the Universal Studios' lake, and the basement of Le Vie Showroom atFestiveWalk.

The rail service will continue to bring visitors to other parts of Sentosa, with the first stop at Imbiah station near The Merlion.

And although the 18-year-old Sentosa Ferry Terminal was demolished in July to make way for the IR, Sentosa Leisure Group told The New Paper that they do not rule out the possibility of building a new one in the near future.

Dream project: More than half of excavation, piling done

ONCE Resorts World at Sentosa (RWS) swings its doors open to visitors, it's not just those on the island who will get an eyeful.

Across the Sentosa Gateway Bridge, shoppers at VivoCity will have a bird's eye view of two crane-like structures dancing in a multi-media show at FestiveWalk's waterfront.

That is just one part of the resorts' three-zone plan - FestiveWalk in the central zone, Universal Studios in the east and water attractions in the west.

RWS' CEO Mr Tan Hee Teck expects to spend as much as $6 billion to build the resort, up from an earlier estimate of $5.2b.

This new budget includes a contingency provision of $250 million, which also covers improvements to transport and other infrastructure.

With 1,300 construction workers clocking a 24/7-shift, RWS said the IR is on schedule to open in early 2010.

Already, more than 50 per cent of the overall excavation and piling has been completed.

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