Site surveys, soil investigations, and site clearance works have been completed and ground improvement works are currently being carried out, says the Transport Ministry.
Kimberly Spykerman Channel NewsAsia 27 May 15;
SINGAPORE: Land preparation works for the Changi East Development, including the future Changi Airport Terminal 5 and the three-runway system, are progressing well and have moved on to the next phase, said the Transport Ministry on Wednesday (May 27).
Site surveys, soil investigations, and site clearance works have been completed, and ground improvement works are being carried out to treat and strengthen soil at the site currently, it added.
The Changi East Development site is more than 1,000 hectares, but the total land area of ground which needs improvement works is 720 hectares - the equivalent of 667 football fields.
As the Changi East Development site is reclaimed land, the thick layers of soft marine clay cannot support airport infrastructure and aircraft load. Ground improvement works are thus necessary to increase soil strength so that the new taxiways, runways and apron do not crack or sink over time.
These ground improvement works will last for the next five to six years, while other works go on concurrently. For example, works to widen the existing Tanah Merah Coast Road, as well as to construct a new road between Tanah Merah Coast Road and Aviation Park Road, are ongoing.
This new road will replace the existing Changi Coast Road - which will be removed to create a contiguous airfield between the current airport and the new developments in Changi East.
Workers operating the horizontal silo at Changi East. (Photo: Elizabeth Goh)
Other major works like canal diversion as well as runway and taxiway pavement construction will commence progressively starting later this year. These will be carried out in more than 70 sub-phases across the site over the next five to six years.
The Transport Ministry said that while there are challenges, especially with works taking place so close to the airport, it is confident that daily operations will not be disrupted.
Said the Ministry's Director (Air Transport) and Superintending Officer of the Changi East land preparation works project, Mr Chua Kwan Ping: "This is difficult and challenging, it's not easy because the works are next to a very busy airport and operating military airbase. The contractor will need to adhere to very stringent aerodrome safety requirements."
The area is slated to be ready by the mid-2020s.
- CNA/xk
Work on track for Changi East development: MOT
KELLY NG Today Online 27 May 15;
SINGAPORE — Work is on track to prepare the land for the Changi East development, which includes a three-runway system and a new Terminal 5 for Changi Airport, the Ministry of Transport said today (May 27) at a briefing.
Site surveys, soil investigations and site clearance works have concluded, and work is being carried out to treat and strengthen the site, which sits on reclaimed land.
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Sprawling over 1,000 hectares, the site comprises thick layers of soft marine clay and sand which cannot support airport infrastructure and aircraft load. Ground improvement work, using techniques such as prefabricated vertical drains and deep cement mixing, are needed to increase soil strength. The treated soil will then take time to settle before new facilities such as runways and taxiways can be introduced.
Various parts of the site also need to be raised to mitigate the impact of a projected rise in sea level due to climate change.
Work to widen the Tanah Merah Coast Road and construct a new road between Tanah Merah Coast Road and Aviation Road are ongoing. The new road will replace the existing Changi Coast Road, which will be expunged to create an airfield between the airport and upcoming developments.
Other major work, such as canal diversion, runway and taxiway pavement construction, will commence later this year. The entire development of the site will take five to six more years.
Work at T5, runway site 'progressing well'
Changi Airport Control Tower
Karamjit Kaur The Straits Times AsiaOne 29 May 15;
Preparing the land in Changi East for the airport's future Terminal 5 and third runway is challenging work, but so far it is progressing well.
A small part of the work is being done near one of the two existing runways, but this is carried out during lull periods so that travellers are not affected, said the Ministry of Transport (MOT) in a project update yesterday.
Site surveys, soil investigations and clearance works have been completed and the team is now focused on ground improvement works, said MOT director for air transport Chua Kwan Ping.
This includes treating and strengthening the soil at the site which is more than 1,000ha - or slightly smaller than the current airport premises.
Engineers in Changi East, currently separated from the airport by Changi Coast Road, are dealing with reclaimed land consisting of thick layers of soft marine clay which cannot support airport infrastructure and aircraft load.
Different ground improvement methods will be used, including mixing cement into the soft marine clay and inserting vertical drains to suck out excess moisture. At some parts, the land will need to be raised to mitigate the impact of a projected rise in sea level due to climate change.
Mr Chua stressed: "If the works are not done properly, the taxiways and runway could sink over time."
Related roadworks around the site, including the widening of Tanah Merah Coast Road and the construction of a new road between Tanah Merah Coast Road and Aviation Park, are ongoing.
The new road will replace the existing Changi Coast Road some time in 2017. Other major works such as canal diversion, and runway and taxiway pavement construction, will commence progressively from later this year.
T5 is slated to open around 2025 with an initial capacity of up to 50 million passengers a year - more than T1 and T2 put together.
All three runways are expected to be operational before that, to handle a growing number of flights at Changi Airport.
Despite some slowdown in passenger traffic at Changi in the last one to two years, the long-term prospects for the region's air travel market are strong, industry observers said.
The development of T5, as well as T4 which is currently being constructed next to T2 where the budget terminal used to be, is to ensure Changi has enough capacity to meet future needs.
Major roadworks to cater to Changi's T5
Changi East will need extensive road network to support higher traffic flow
KARAMJIT KAUR Straits Times 24 Mar 15;
THE development of Changi East, where the airport's Terminal 5 (T5) is being planned, will require major roadworks - including the possible construction of two parallel roads with a total of up to 20 lanes - to support the expected higher traffic volumes.
Under preliminary plans, both roads will run side by side for about three-quarters of a kilometre, before one breaks off and turns into the future T5, The Straits Times has learnt.
The other will lead to Changi Coast Road, which will be diverted from its current location as it separates the existing airport from the T5 site.
The plan is for motorists to be able to access the new roads from the Pan-Island Expressway, East Coast Parkway and Xilin Avenue. All three will be expanded. Airport Boulevard will also become wider.
A source said: "Improving the traffic flow in the area will involve works on several major expressways and roads. To link the roads and expressways and for motorists to access the roads conveniently will require an extensive network of slip roads, entrances and exits - perhaps the most complex we have seen in Singapore."
A Land Transport Authority spokesman said the road development plans for Changi East have not been firmed up. It will work closely with other relevant agencies "to plan the necessary infrastructure improvements to support and meet the transport needs of the airport expansion as well as the Changi East area", he said.
T5 is slated to open in the middle of the next decade with an initial capacity to handle up to 50 million passengers - more than T1 and T2 put together.
The development of Changi East, which aims to cement Sing- apore's position as a major airport for destination and connecting traffic, will include the construction of offices and hotels.
All this will require massive improvements, not just to the road network but public transport systems as well, experts said.
Nanyang Technological University Adjunct Associate Professor Gopinath Menon said: "You must be able to get people to and from the airport quickly and seamlessly. We don't want travellers coming in from the air and then being stuck in jams on our roads."
The authorities have to be mindful not to confine widening and expansion works to stretches near the airport, said National University of Singapore transport researcher Lee Der Horng. "It is important for the traffic capacity and flow to gradually build up and thin out so we avoid bottlenecks upstream and downstream."
Plans have been announced for a new ground transportation centre to serve the future T5 and Changi East, with at least one, if not two, new MRT lines.
With the number of passengers set to increase in the coming decades and competition from rival airports becoming more intense, it may also be time to consider an express rail service to Changi Airport, with city check-in and other related facilities, said Dr Lee.
"In Hong Kong, the express train takes you from the airport to the city with just three stops in between. Once you reach the city, there is a comprehensive bus network to ferry travellers to all the main hotels in the area," he said.
Viability studies would first need to be done, said Prof Menon.
"At other airports in London, for example, taxis are costly, so the main mode of transport for people travelling to and from the airport is the train. For us, taxis are less expensive and preferred not just by travellers with bags but visitors as well."
Changi's T5 to be bigger than 3 current terminals combined
Initial capacity will likely be up to 50m, but increase to 70m if needed
KARAMJIT KAUR Straits Times 4 Mar 15;
Changi Airport's new mega passenger terminal will be bigger and even more ambitious than indicated earlier.
Terminal 5 is likely to comprise a main facility linked to one or more satellite terminals via an underground rail link.
The Straits Times understands that the current plan calls for an initial capacity of up to 50 million passengers a year, but with a provision to increase this to 70 million if needed.
This will make T5, which will be built on reclaimed land currently separated from the existing airport by Changi Coast Road, bigger than T1, T2 and T3 combined.
The details will be unveiled by the Transport Ministry next week.
The mega facility is slated to open in the middle of the next decade. The decision to develop T5 in phases is to ensure it does not end up a white elephant, sources said.
The construction of the new terminal and related infrastructure, including a cargo complex and aircraft maintenance and repair centre, signals Singapore's commitment to grow Changi as a hub for Asian and global travel.
As part of plans for T5, The Straits Times understands there is a proposal to move the Changi Airfreight Centre, which houses Singapore Airlines' (SIA) corporate offices as well as facilities of ground-handling and cargo companies.
The idea is to integrate planning for the cargo complex and airport terminal to ensure smooth movement and processing of air freight.
SIA, which operates out of T2 and T3, has expressed "preliminary interest" in operating from T5, but nothing has been firmed up, said its spokesman Nicholas Ionides.
With rival airports in Hong Kong, South Korea and the Middle East expanding aggressively, Changi must ensure it has the capacity and infrastructure to fight back, or risk losing out, said aviation analysts.
Based on past growth and future projections, Changi, which handled 54.1 million passengers last year, could hit the 100 million mark by 2030, they said.
In 2018, when T4 is completed and T1 expanded, the airport will be able to handle up to 85 million passengers a year.
In planning for T5, there is a need for bold plans but also flexibility, given the current uncertain industry climate, with budget carriers slowing down and plans for Asean open skies still not finalised, analysts said.
"The best way forward is to commit to the basic steps upfront, and then adjust the later details based on better information at different stages in the future," said transport expert Terence Fan of the Singapore Management University.
"Hopefully, the 2025 timeline for T5 is a target of this kind, which itself can be stretched further in the future if the forecast traffic increases do not materialise soon enough."
Mr Paul Yap, who heads Temasek Polytechnic's aviation and aerospace centre, agreed, and said: "At the end of the day, traffic projection is not an exact science."
The development of T5 and related facilities will boost Singapore's overall aerospace sector and provide thousands of jobs during construction and upon completion.
Mr Kent Yar, director of aerospace and engineering at ZW HR Consulting, said the new airport project will "make for a buoyant industry", with good opportunities for job seekers. They can pursue not just engineering and technical jobs, but also those in sales, management and other aspects of the industry, he said.
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