Faster ride for Yishun and Seletar residents

Faster ride for Yishun and Seletar residents

Motorists in Yishun and Seletar can look forward to a faster, smoother ride once various road projects in the area are ready.

The expansion of the interchange connecting the Central Expressway (CTE), Seletar Expressway (SLE) and Tampines Expressway (TPE) with Seletar West Link is on track to be completed by the end of this year, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said.

Started in 2012, the project consists of four new flyovers and five new road connections that will "improve overall connectivity between the expressway and adjoining road network", said LTA.

An additional lane is being added on both directions of the existing Yio Chu Kang Flyover, the stretch of TPE between Seletar Flyover and Seletar Aerospace Flyover, and the stretch of SLE between Seletar Flyover and Lentor Avenue.

To accommodate the works on the upcoming flyovers, LTA has been diverting vehicles travelling from SLE to Yio Chu Kang Road to a newly completed flyover since February this year.

Apart from the interchange expansion project, a new road linking Yishun Avenue 1 and Avenue 6 was completed earlier this year.

Yishun Avenue 8 now provides an alternative route for motorists travelling from Yishun to a widened Seletar West Link and TPE.

Another project - the new dual three-lane Sengkang West Road - will help shift some traffic away from the busy Jalan Kayu.

Sengkang West Road is due to be fully opened by the second quarter of this year, while slip roads near the new Seletar Aerospace Flyover have been progressively opened since October last year.

"A lot of residents are looking forward to the interchange at CTE, TPE and SLE," said Nee Soon GRC MP Lee Bee Wah.

She added that many in Yishun currently have to go by the busy Yishun Avenue 1, Avenue 2 and Lentor Avenue to access the three expressways.

With upcoming housing projects set to bring more traffic to Yishun, Ms Lee said it was all the more crucial that the interchange and other road projects are completed soon.

Some Yishun residents have begun using the new Yishun Avenue 8 regularly, enjoying the smoother ride it provides.

Mr Gunabalan Vijayabalan, 33, said it used to take him 25 minutes to drive from his home in Yishun to Seletar West Link.

"There was a lot of waiting time when I used Yishun Avenue 1," said the senior engineer, whose journey now takes 10 to 15 minutes via Yishun Avenue 8.

Fellow resident Tan Hock Nyee, 56, agreed: "I use Yishun Avenue 8 a lot now because it's faster than to go by Avenue 1."

The new road has given him an alternative route to Punggol and Sengkang - where many of his jobs are located - instead of taking the congested Lentor Avenue.

"It can take up to half an hour to get through the stretch during peak hours," Mr Tan said. "The jam at Lentor Avenue has no end."

andreang@sph.com.sg


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