Full Alignment of North-South Expressway Unveiled

1. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has announced the full alignment for the 21.5km long North-South Expressway (NSE).

2. On 19 January this year, LTA announced the alignment for the northern segment of NSE between Admiralty Road West and Toa Payoh Rise. LTA has now completed the detailed engineering studies for the southern segment of NSE. Please refer to Annex A for the full alignment of NSE.

NSE to meet growth in travel demand

3. The construction of NSE will benefit residents living in the north and north-eastern sectors of Singapore as it caters to the expected growth in traffic demand generated by new developments there. Running parallel to the Central Expressway (CTE), NSE will help to alleviate the traffic load on the heavily-utilised expressway, as well as on the major arterial roads nearby such as Thomson Road and Marymount Road.

4. When completed, NSE will be Singapore’s eleventh expressway. The new expressway will have a total of 16 in-ramps and 17 out-ramps to connect towns along the north-south corridor – Woodlands, Sembawang, Yishun, Ang Mo Kio, Bishan and Toa Payoh – with the city centre. NSE will also intersect and provide links to existing expressways, including the Seletar Expressway, the Pan-Island Expressway and the East Coast Parkway, to improve the overall connectivity of the road network.

Faster journeys to the city

5. With NSE, motorists travelling between the north and the city centre can expect to save up to 30% of their travel time during peak hours.

6. For example, a journey between Yishun and the city takes approximately 30 to 35 minutes today. With NSE, the same journey can be completed between 20 and 30 minutes. Similarly, a trip from Bishan to the city, which usually takes between 15 and 20 minutes today, can be completed between 10 and 15 minutes with NSE.

7. Advance works for NSE will start progressively from 2013 and major construction works will start in 2015.

Land acquisition

8. While all efforts have been made to minimise land acquisition, the Government will need to acquire two full lots, which consist of four blocks of HDB flats at Rochor Centre and one association building at Keng Lee Road, and 21 part lots to facilitate the construction of NSE.

9. Residents of HDB flats at Rochor Centre will be offered relocation benefits similar to those offered under the Selective En Bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS). Please see Annexes B, C and D for the relocation benefits package, and implementation details. HDB will build about 810 units of new flats at Kallang for their replacement housing. Located next to the Kallang River, residents will get to enjoy waterfront housing at a prime location. The new flats will be well-served by a good transportation network, with the Kallang MRT Station a 5-minute walk away. Residents will also have access to a wide range of amenities nearby, such as shops, eating houses, and the Upper Boon Keng Market and Food Centre.

10. There are 187 rental shops/eating houses at Rochor Centre. All will be given a 10% preferential discount off the monthly rental rates when they successfully tender for other HDB rental commercial properties, or when they take over other HDB rental commercial properties through assignment. Eligible tenants will be offered relocation assistance to facilitate their move to alternative premises. Some tenants will also receive an ex-gratia payment under current policy if they meet the eligibility criteria. See Annex E.

11. Owners of the other private lands acquired by the Government will similarly receive market value statutory compensation. Land owners affected by full lot acquisition will be given assistance in their purchase of and relocation to a replacement property. We will also work with those affected by part lot acquisition to minimise disruption to their operations and to reinstate the properties.

12. The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) has gazetted the lands affected by the acquisition today. Landowners who are directly affected will receive the acquisition notices today. SLA will get in touch with them over the course of the next few weeks to assist them as much as possible with their queries and concerns.

13. Members of the public can also call the following hotlines should they require additional information: