A NEW 1.3km tunnel will be built from the Sentosa Gateway as a link to nearby roads to cope with growing traffic in the area when the integrated resort and new condominiums are completed.
This will allow outgoing traffic from Sentosa to bypass the busy cross junction of the Gateway and Telok Blangah Road.
That junction is expected to see a 60 per cent increase in traffic between 2010 and 2015 - arising mainly from the new integrated resort on Sentosa and new condominiums in the area.
Currently, about 6,000 cars use that junction during the evening peak period. That number will swell to between 9,600 and 10,800, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Friday.
When the tunnel is completed in 2015, it will start along the stretch directly between VivoCity and St. James Power Station and end along Kampong Bahru Road and Keppel Road heading east.
The LTA said that motorists who use the mainly two-lane tunnel will see a 50 per cent drop in their travel time - to under 10 minutes - for that stretch.
Travel time on surface level will also improve by 25 per cent.
The tunnel is in addition to other road works in the area which have begun since June to meet growing traffic demands.
Improvements include adding lanes on Telok Blangah Road, an extra lane for vehicles turning into the Sentosa Gateway and the widening of the Kampong Bahru Road.
These works will be completed in 2010, in time for the opening of the integrated resort on Sentosa.
LTA will start preliminary works on the tunnel, which includes laying cables, at the Sentosa Gateway area, by the end of the year.
Tunnel works proper will only begin in 2011.
LTA assured motorists that there will be minimal disruption to those heading to the area.
New Sentosa tunnel to be built by 2015
Diondi Tan, Business Times 26 Jul 08;
THE Land Transport Authority (LTA) will be adding to and expanding the current road infrastructure around the Sentosa gateway. This is to ensure that extra capacity will be available to meet projected use in 2015.
These improvement and construction plans will include a two-lane tunnel that connects outbound traffic from Sentosa directly to Kampong Bahru Rd and Keppel Rd, bypassing the Telok Blangah and Sentosa Gateway junction entirely.
According to LTA chief executive, Yam Ah Mee, the tunnel will cut motorists' travel time in 2015 by half, around 10 minutes' worth of savings, and ensure smoother traffic flow.
Motorists who are travelling on surface roads will also experience a reduction in travel time due to less pressure being placed on the above ground roadway infrastructure.
'These road improvement plans complement the package of road improvements we announced earlier in February this year, and will ensure that both visitors and residents who are heading out of the Sentosa area will have a pleasant traffic experience,' said Mr Yam.
The actual construction of the tunnel will only start after the opening of Resorts World, and is slated to begin in 2011, and to be completed in 2015.