LTA to Build New Road and Bridge Linking Punggol East and Pasir Ris by 2032

The new road will be about 900 metres long, including a bridge of approximately 250 metres that will cross the Serangoon River, connecting Punggol East and Pasir Ris. The road will have three lanes in each direction.

The ground-level road sections at both ends of the bridge will be about 460 metres on the Pasir Ris side and about 190 metres on the Punggol East side. Construction is expected to start next year with completion targeted for around 2032.

In addition, Pasir Ris Coast Industrial Park 6 will be widened from its current two-way single carriageway to a two-way three-lane road, connecting to the new road.

LTA will also build pedestrian walkways and cycling paths on one side of the new road and bridge, connecting to the Punggol Promenade waterfront park. This will allow residents to walk or cycle between Punggol East and Pasir Ris.

An LTA spokesperson said: “This will provide drivers and pedestrians a more direct, higher quality road link, improving connectivity between two towns, and also ease current road congestion.”

The project will require the clearing of approximately 2.9 hectares of forest, though an environmental impact assessment found that the impact can be minimised.

LTA had earlier commissioned environmental consultants Tembusu Asia Consulting and Witteveen+Bos to conduct environmental studies. The land near the Serangoon River at the Lorong Halus area is a former landfill site that was closed in 1999.

According to environmental research reports, 156 bird species have been recorded in the area, of which 53 are nationally conserved species. Ten are listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as threatened. The area is also a habitat for 72 migratory bird species. Wild boars and endangered birds such as the Changeable Hawk Eagle and Red-legged Crake have been spotted in the area.

The Nature Society of Singapore noted that the area is a conservation zone. However, LTA said that as long as appropriate mitigation measures are taken, the engineering works and materials should not cause significant environmental impact.

According to the URA 2019 Master Plan, the land at the Pasir Ris end of the new road is within the Pasir Ris planning area and is currently zoned as Business 2 (for light industrial, warehousing, public utilities, telecommunications and other facilities). As the wider area is set for comprehensive development in the future, the new road is believed to mark the beginning of more extensive development plans within the Pasir Ris planning area.

The new road will also provide a convenient connection to the Pasir Ris coast, with at least a 25-metre buffer zone. It can serve as a buffer during peak hours for traffic from Punggol East, and will also provide alternative routes for motorists using the Tampines Expressway and Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway during peak periods.