Telok Blangah Hill Park now linked with Mount Faber, Kent Ridge Park
Teo Cheng Wee, Straits Times 11 May 08;
The wet morning yesterday did not dampen the excitement of Telok Blangah resident Habib Ismail.
He was among 500 residents who watched Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong officially open two pedestrian bridges - Henderson Waves and Alexandra Arch.
With these bridges, Telok Blangah Hill Park is now linked to Mount Faber on one side and Kent Ridge Park on the other.
An avid walker, Mr Habib, 44, a father of two, joined Mr Lee and the other residents on a tour of the bridges.
The bridges complete a 9km chain of greenery in the Southern Ridges, which consist primarily of three large hill parks - Mount Faber, Telok Blangah Hill Park and Kent Ridge Park.
Henderson Waves, at a height of 36m, is Singapore's highest pedestrian bridge. A wave-shaped, steel-and-timber structure, it spans 274m across Henderson Road. The other bridge, Alexandra Arch, spans 80m across Alexandra Road.
The parks were previously separated by roads and wooded vegetation. Now, one can walk ridge-to-ridge, starting from HarbourFront MRT and ending at West Coast Park.
In 2002, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said it would link up parks in the Southern Ridges as part of the Parks and Waterbodies and Identity Plans.
The project, which took two years to complete, cost $25.5 million.
Apart from the two bridges, the Southern Ridges now also boast the Forest Walk, a 1.3km-long elevated walkway that cuts through secondary forest at Telok Blangah Hill Park; and Marang Trail, which links HarbourFront MRT to Mount Faber.
Mr Lee also officiated the opening of the $13 million Horticulture Park - or HortPark for short.
With 20 theme gardens, HortPark is South-east Asia's first one-stop gardening and lifestyle hub.
The 23ha park, which has been open since December last year, took two years to build and also serves as a park connector between Telok Blangah Hill Park and Kent Ridge Park.
In his speech, Mr Lee noted that such projects 'provide a first-class living environment for all Singaporeans'.
He also announced upcoming plans to link the Southern Ridges to the Keppel Waterfront as part of a broader plan to develop a recreational and leisure hub in the south.
This includes having a park connector from Alexandra Arch to Labrador Park, building a mangrove boardwalk at Berlayer Creek and having a waterfront boardwalk that connects Bukit Chermin to VivoCity, with waterfront views along the entire stretch of Keppel Bay.
Details of these plans will be released soon, the URA said.
About 1 million visitors to the Southern Ridges are expected annually, and with the bridges open 24 hours a day, lovebirds might be expected to make a beeline for them after dark, especially as Henderson Waves offers panoramic views of the city and southern islands.
Mr Habib, a senior research supervisor, had stopped his daily jogs at Telok Blangah Hill Park due to work commitments. He is digging out his sneakers again.
'I'm making plans to walk along the new walk with friends,' he said with a smile.
PM Lee opens new pedestrian bridges and Hort Park at Southern Ridges
Channel NewsAsia 10 May 08;
SINGAPORE: You can now take a 9-kilometre walk from Mount Faber to Telok Blangah Hill and Kent Ridge Park. The three hills are collectively known as the Southern Ridges and they are linked by two new pedestrian bridges and a walkway, which were opened on Saturday by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
PM Lee said the Southern Ridges is part of the country's effort to transform itself into a city of gardens and water.
As Singapore's economy and population continues to grow, Mr Lee assured that the government will strive to provide the highest quality of life possible for all residents.
PM Lee said: "I think quite a lot of Singaporeans worry that our quality of life will suffer, that there won't be enough space for all of us. And they ask, “Is our little island getting too crowded, will we lose our sense of comfort of space and greenery?” My answer is we will continue to provide a first class living environment for all Singaporeans. We have done quite well in this respect and we will build on this to do better."
That means making water ways and greenery more accessible to the public.
Mr Lee continued: "We will build a park connector from the Alexandra Arch, along Alexandra Road to Labrador Park. We will link up to a mangrove boardwalk at Berlayer Creek, with its rich biodiversity. And eventually connect to a waterfront broad walk from Bukit Chermin all the way to Vivocity."
Cheong Koon Hean, CEO, Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), said: "You are literally walking on the boardwalk with the sea on your right and you can see Sentosa and it will go all the way in front of Labrador Park and also Reflections and then you reach VivoCity. With that, the entire southern ridges will be fully connected. It will be a totally different experience."
The URA first announced its plans to link the Southern Ridges to the parks as part of its Identity Plan in 2002.
And it was widely supported, garnering a 93 per cent endorsement from Singaporeans in a survey.
An online public poll was conducted earlier this year to decide on the names of the two bridges. And Henderson Waves and Alexandra Arch were selected from among 11 options.
Mr Lee later toured the US$13 million horticultural park or HortPark off Alexandra Road.
The 23-hectare park is Southeast Asia's first one-stop gardening and lifestyle hub. It plans to attract one million visitors a year. -CNA/vm
Three new linkways at Southern Ridges cost S$25.5m
Channel NewsAsia 10 May 08;
SINGAPORE: The three new linkways at the Southern Ridges cost the Urban Redevelopment Authority S$25.5 million to build.
To enjoy the view on foot, one must be prepared to spend at least two and half hours to cover the entire attraction. Harbour views in the day and city lights at night are some of the sights one can enjoy while strolling along the Henderson Waves bridge.
At a height of 36 metres or 12 storeys from the road, it's the highest pedestrian bridge in Singapore. The 300-metre bridge links up the parks at Mount Faber and Telok Blangah Hill.
The bridge is constructed using steel and all-weather timber which can be found in Southeast Asia. As a lot of wood was used in the decking, the National Parks Board (NParks), which is maintaining the structure, said smoking will be prohibited for safety reasons.
Beyond the Henderson Waves Bridge and a one-kilometre hilltop walk, you also get to experience the meandering forest walk and earth trails. But NParks assures that these are harmless.
The 1.3 kilometre raised walkway, with heights ranging from three to 18 metres, brushes the canopy of the secondary forest of Telok Blangah Hill.
And NParks said the trees are inspected regularly. It has also made sure that there are no overhanging branches over the forest walk.
While this will help prevent visitors from being hurt by fallen branches, NParks hopes people can be responsible for their own safety and avoid the trail during thunderstorms.
It's also keeping an eye on security.
Kong Yit San, Director, Parks, NParks, said: "We do have interconnecting staircases, exits and entrances clearly marked, while the forest walk goes through a secondary forest. It's also quite near to HDB areas and certain residences. So we don't feel that there is a high security concern. But nevertheless, this is a new thing, we will be sending so-called maintenance crew on a daily basis to check out in case some naughty kids (who) decide to mess with it (or) add something to it. Just challenge us in maintenance."
According to NParks, the other new bridge, the Alexandra Arch will be easier to maintain.
It spreads out like an opened leaf over Alexandra Road and will lead visitors to Hort Park and on to Kent Ridge Park.
To commemorate the event, the Monetary Authority of Singapore has launched the Singapore Identity Plan (Southern Ridges) Coin.
These limited collections will be sold by the Singapore Mint. - CNA/vm
