MOTORIST Shiva Bhaskaran pays between $4 and $5 in Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) charges to get to work, but it doesn't faze him.

The 49-year-old information technology director passes under two gantries on his 25-minute drive from his Yio Chu Kang home to his office in Raffles Link via the Central Expressway (CTE).

Said the owner of an eight-year-old Mercedes Benz: 'I use the CTE although it is not the only route I can use. It's the most convenient.'

He may have a few alternative routes now, but viable choices in travel routes - and even travel mode - will open up for him by 2020, just like for all those living in the north.

Transport Minister Raymond Lim listed these on Wednesday:

First up, the opening of the rest of the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) on Sept 20, following the opening of its maiden 3km stretch from Sims Avenue to Fort Road on the East Coast Parkway last October.

When fully open, a 12km underground stretch will link north-east neighbourhoods like Buangkok, Bartley and Tampines to the Pan Island Expressway and the city.

Those living in these northern suburbs can expect to cut their commute to the city by a quarter, said Mr Lim, at the unveiling of the third and final part of the the Land Transport Review.

But the $1.74 billion KPE is not the only facility built to meet the travel demands of these residents.

Read the full story in Thursday's edition of The Straits Times.