SINGAPORE - Peak period congestion in Tuas is expected to ease with the opening of a new viaduct serving the western industrial area in February.

Stretching 4.8km from Tuas Road to Tuas West Road, the Tuas viaduct will open on Feb 18. The viaduct will operate as a dual two-lane road but can be expanded to a dual three-lane road in the future to support "longer term developments within the Tuas area".

"The road viaduct will provide motorists with an alternative to the busy Pioneer Road," said Mr Andrew Yap, director for the Tuas West extension project at the LTA.

The viaduct will also incorporate a 2.4km stretch of the upcoming Tuas West MRT extension, including the Tuas Crescent and Tuas West Road stations.

The 7.5km MRT extension is scheduled to open in the second quarter of 2017.

The viaduct is the first in Singapore to have both road and rail components, with a combined budget of about $3.5 billion for both the road viaduct and the rail extension.

To handle the additional stress, the viaduct is supported by 94 columns, each of which supports 13,000 tonnes of weight. This is more than six times the load of a column for the freestanding part of the Tuas West extension rail viaduct, which can carry 2,100 tonnes.

To avoid confusion, new directional signs will be installed to help motorists navigate the area. Marshals will also be deployed to help direct traffic, said the Land Transport Authority in a statement on Thursday (Jan 19).

The viaduct was built in anticipation of increased traffic from upcoming developments in the area.

These include the Tuas Port, which is expected to handle all of Singapore's port activities from 2027.