New road in Bidadari estate named after Sang Nila Utama

A new road in Bidadari estate will partially open to traffic from 8am on Sept 25, with one lane in each direction.

The dual two-lane road is expected to open fully in the first half of 2024.

Sang Nila Utama Road will replace Vernon Park Road, which will be permanently closed. The Housing Board (HDB) on Friday (Aug 19) said the new road will link to Mount Vernon Lane and Mount Vernon Road.

It advises motorists travelling from Upper Aljunied Road to Mount Vernon Road and vice-versa to use the new road and Mount Vernon Lane after Vernon Park Road is closed on Sept 25.

The Straits Times has asked the HDB why the road will be fully opened only in 2024.

The name of the new road was decided by the Ministry of National Development and the Street and Building Names Board in 2019, as a tribute to Sang Nila Utama, a prince from Palembang who arrived in Singapore in 1299, and is widely regarded as the founder of the Kingdom of Singapura.

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The road is located next to the site of Malay-medium Sang Nila Utama Secondary School, which ceased operations in 1988.

Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat said in 2019 that the road was named in response to the Malay community's requests, as the school had played an important role in developing Malay education in Singapore.

The main road in Bidadari – Bidadari Park Drive – is also only partially opened. It will be completed early next year, when it connects to Bartley Road.

Bidadari Park Drive, a 1.6km two-lane dual carriageway described by the HDB as the "main transportation spine of Bidadari", currently connects the estate to Upper Aljunied and Upper Serangoon roads.

The final stretch of Bidadari Park Drive will join an existing T-junction – formed by Bartley Road and Serangoon Avenue 1 – early next year.

This will turn the junction into a four-way one, allowing traffic to move from Bidadari estate to Bartley Road, as well as Serangoon Avenue 1, and vice-versa.

Mr Tristen Tjokro, a teacher at a school slightly outside the estate, said he drives to and from school every day via Bartley Road East.

"Bartley Road East is always extremely jammed after work, around 5pm to 6pm. I hope that the new road will ease traffic by diverting traffic from the main road," the 26-year-old said of Sang Nila Utama Road.

Bidadari is a new 10,000-unit HDB estate near Toa Payoh and Potong Pasir.

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