New road to ease congestion in Punggol opens a year ahead of schedule

SINGAPORE - From 4pm on Sunday (Nov 25), Punggol residents will have a new route to get onto the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) and the Tampines Expressway (TPE), to ease congestion that has seen motorists queue an hour in traffic just to get on the expressways.

A new extension to the existing Punggol Central road will take motorists to Halus Link, which then connects to the KPE (towards East Coast Parkway) and to the TPE (towards Changi).

The works are part of a $185 million expansion of the KPE-TPE intersection, aimed at easing traffic congestion on the TPE as well as the network of roads that lead out of the north-eastern town.

The Straits Times reported earlier this month that works were projected to finish earlier, thanks to technologies such as virtual modelling and precast construction.

The Punggol Central road extension was originally slated to open in the third quarter of 2019.

Madam Wendy Tock, 53, a resident of Punggol Central, described traffic in the estate as "very bad".

"With the new homes springing up around the area, it's very crowded. You have to leave home by 6.45am on weekdays, if not you'll have to queue for an hour just on Punggol Drive, which is about 1km long."

Mr Liu Bo, 36, a manager in the electronics industry, said he drives on the TPE to and from his workplace in Pasir Ris every day.

"Sometimes, it can take over an hour just to get to the expressway," Mr Liu said.

Without traffic, the drive to his office usually takes around 15 minutes.

"I hope things will be better and driving to work can be more convenient now," said the Punggol East resident.

By the second quarter of next year, motorists travelling along the TPE (towards Pan Island Expressway) will be able to get onto the Punggol Central road when Halus Link is open to traffic in that direction as well.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.