SINGAPORE - A new flyover that will allow more direct access between the one-north and Commonwealth and Holland areas is expected to be open in the first quarter of 2023, developer JTC Corporation told The Straits Times.
The road, connecting North Buona Vista Drive and Commonwealth Avenue, has been under construction for several years, after a $21 million tender for it and the surrounding infrastructure was awarded to Chye Joo Construction in December 2017.
When it is open next year, it should help ease congestion into and out of the science and technology hub, benefiting the more than 50,000 people currently working in the neighbourhood that is home to The Metropolis, Fusionopolis and the Singapore Science Park.
Currently, there is no direct connection between North Buona Vista Drive, which runs by Biopolis and The Metropolis, and Commonwealth Avenue outside the area.
To exit one-north towards central Singapore, motorists have to meander through smaller roads - often congested during peak periods pre-pandemic - to get to North Buona Vista Road, where they then have to wait at two traffic junctions before exiting into Commonwealth Avenue or further to the Holland area.
The new flyover will allow more direct access while offering an alternative exit for motorists.
Ms Jenny Lim, who works in Biopolis, said she hoped that the additional road connection will make going to and fro her workplace less of a hassle.
"It hasn't been as congested these two years because of Covid-19, but it could get quite busy before that. There were long lines of cars and some drivers who are more impatient will honk," said Ms Lim, 42.
"Hopefully, the road will open before everyone starts going back to work. There are already noticeably more cars around."
JTC has tried to improve one-north's connectivity through various projects.
In 2019, it opened a flyover connecting Portsdown Avenue and the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE) near Mediapolis to facilitate traffic flow into and out of one-north, providing an alternative route for motorists who would otherwise be stuck in traffic in the congestion at the North Buona Vista entrance to AYE.
A new road junction connecting to the flyover also provided quicker access for motorists leaving the Singapore Science Park, giving them direct access to AYE (towards the city), instead of them having to plough through Portsdown Road.
JTC has said that it wants to make the area more car-lite, and has provided shuttle buses to key public transport nodes such as Buona Vista and one-north MRT stations.
