SINGAPORE – Road improvement works to serve new developments in Changi North and Changi South, such as the future Changi Airport Terminal 5 (T5), will begin in the fourth quarter of 2024.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Sept 12 awarded two contracts with a combined value of $522.4 million for the works to home-grown construction firm Samwoh.

Under one contract, Samwoh will widen a 5.6km stretch of road in Changi North from a dual two-lane to dual four-lane.

The other contract is for roadworks in Changi South, where the firm will reconfigure Changi Flyover, which connects to the airport, adding a new vehicular underpass and bridge there.

Under this second contract, a section of the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) between Upper Changi Flyover and Changi Flyover will be widened, and a new road will be built parallel to East Coast Parkway (ECP) between Changi Flyover and Tanah Merah Flyover as well.

These roadworks add to a flurry of transport infrastructure projects in the Changi region that are aimed at easing congestion on key arterial roads and supporting an anticipated increase in travel demand.

Part of what LTA calls the Changi Northern Corridor and Changi Southern Corridor, the road improvements are expected to be a boon to industrial and business districts in the area when they are completed in stages from 2028 to 2034.

In a statement on Sept 12, LTA said the widening of the stretch of road in Changi North, comprising Loyang Avenue, Telok Paku Road, Nicoll Drive and Changi Coast Road, will be completed by 2030.

Together with the completion of the new 2.6km Loyang Viaduct in 2028, the widened roads will serve Loyang Industrial Estate, Changi Airfreight Centre and the Airport Logistics Park, LTA said.

The new roads will also complement two upcoming Cross Island Line MRT stations in the area – Loyang and Pasir Ris East – and 3km of new cycling paths in Loyang and Changi North, all of which will be ready by 2030 as well.

LTA previously said that these will form a three-level transport corridor in Changi North, with the viaduct, road and underground MRT tunnels.

On the environmental impact of the roadworks in Changi North, LTA said it had earlier conducted a study to identify flora and fauna in the vicinity of the worksite and to develop mitigation measures, such as noise barriers and vehicle speed limits.

The study found that the works are expected to cause some impact on the ecology and biodiversity in the mangroves and forest around Loyang Avenue and Nicoll Drive.

With the proposed mitigation measures, the effects from the loss of habitat, disturbance to flora and fauna and changes in water quality are projected to be reduced to either a “slight negative” or “no impact”.

LTA said it will continue to engage nature groups to keep them apprised of the progress of the works. The authority and Samwoh will also ensure the roadworks are carried out safely with minimal inconvenience.

As for the planned southern corridor in Changi, which has been delayed by four years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, LTA said the enhancements to the PIE and ECP between Upper Changi Flyover and Tanah Merah Flyover are expected to be done by 2030.

While motorists can expect smoother traffic flow to and from Changi Airport after the works are completed, traffic diversions on the PIE and ECP in the short term are needed to facilitate construction.

LTA said it will announce details of these diversions later, adding that it will take measures to minimise inconvenience to motorists and the impact on greenery in the area.

Other planned roadworks in Changi South include realigning and widening Tanah Merah Coast Road and widening a section of Xilin Avenue.

This will be covered under two remaining contracts that will be tendered out from the fourth quarter of 2024, LTA said. These works are expected to wrap up in 2034, around the time that T5 will be operational in the mid-2030s.

Construction of the mega terminal, which will be able to handle up to 50 million passengers a year on top of Changi Airport’s current capacity of 90 million, will start in the first half of 2025.

On its decision to award the two contracts to Samwoh, LTA said the company provides a full suite of civil engineering and construction services, with a strong record in road-related infrastructural projects.

For instance, the company was involved in the construction of the Sentosa Gateway Tunnel and a flyover slip road from Seletar West Link to the Seletar Expressway, LTA added.