East Coast Parkway

East Coast Parkway
Lebuhraya Taman Pantai Timur
东海岸公园大道
கிழக்கு கடற்கரை விரைவுச்சாலை

East Coast Parkway is labelled in single purple line
Route information
Length: 20 km (10 mi)
Existed: 1970s – present
History: Completed in 1981
Major junctions
West end: Marina Boulevard
  NSE, KPE, MCE, ORRS (Adam Road), PIE
East end: Singapore Changi Airport
Location
Regions: Marina Bay, Kallang, Marine Parade, Changi South, Singapore Changi Airport, Bedok, Tampines
Highway system
Expressways of Singapore
East Coast Parkway eastbound towards Singapore Changi Airport, before Benjamin Sheares Bridge.
East Coast Parkway westbound towards the downtown.

The East Coast Parkway (Abbreviation: ECP) is an expressway that runs along the southeastern coast of Singapore. The expressway is approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) in length, and connects Singapore Changi Airport in the east to the Benjamin Sheares Bridge in the south of the main island, and to the Marina Coastal Expressway. It has an interchange with the Pan Island Expressway at the Changi Flyover, about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) from the eastern end of the expressway.

It is the only expressways in Singapore which the last letter behind uses 'P' which is known as Parkway for Expressway.

Previously, the East Coast Parkway used to be directly connected to AYE. However, with the opening of the MCE on December 29, 2013 a section of expressway after the Benjamin Sheares Bridge was truncated and another section at the Marina South area realigned and converted into an arterial road.

History

Construction of the first phase of the East Coast Parkway from Fort Road to Marine Parade had started in 1971 and was completed in 1974, followed by an extension of Phase 2 which was completed in 1976 to Bedok South Road and then Phase 3 was built together with Changi Airport in 1980. They were built on reclaimed land. Construction on Phase 4, stretching from Fort Road to Keppel Road began in 1977 and it was opened on 18 April 1981.

It opened in 1981 to coincide with the opening of Singapore Changi Airport, although there remained traffic lights on the expressway until the completion of the last flyover at Fort Road in 1989. The Benjamin Sheares Bridge was opened at the same time in 1982, and it was extended all the way until it reaches Keppel Road.

Flanked by East Coast Park on one side and high-rise housing on the other, the well-landscaped expressway was built and maintained with the conscious intention of giving visitors arriving via Singapore Changi Airport a good first impression of the country as they commute from the airport to the city centre in less than 15 minutes on a good day.

Traffic congestion during the morning peak hours, however, led to the introduction of an Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) gantry near the Tanjong Rhu Flyover in the direction towards the city, one of the first two gantries to be set up in the country, which came into operation on 1 April 1998 together with the other gantry at Ophir Road.

A recently decommissioned highway strip was built in a long, straight section of the ECP close to Changi Airport. This section can be easily identified by removable potted plants instead of the standard large trees on the median strip.

To facilitate the development of the new downtown, the ECP was truncated after the Benjamin Sheares Bridge, while the stretch at Marina South area will be realigned and converted to a major arterial road.[1] A new expressway, the Marina Coastal Expressway, connects with the ECP and the Kallang–Paya Lebar Expressway to the Ayer Rajah Expressway and is built along the coast of Marina South.Thus,removing Exit 17(Central Blvd, Marina South & Bayfront Ave)from ECP Changi and Exit 17A(Marina Place, Marina South,Central Blvd & Bayfront Ave),17(Prince Edward Road) and 18(Keppel Road) from ECP City[1]

Road Interchanges

ExitInterchangeToRemarks
1Changi FlyoverPIE (Tuas) and TPE (SLE)
2ATanah Merah FlyoverChangi Coast Road, Changi Village
2BTanah Merah FlyoverXilin Avenue, Simei Avenue, Tampines TownEastbound only
 East Coast Park Carpark HWestbound only
 East Coast Park Carpark F3Westbound only
6Bayshore RoadEastbound only
7ALaguna FlyoverEast Coast Park Service Road
7BLaguna FlyoverBedok South Avenue 1 and Marine Parade Road
8ASiglap Link to Marine Parade RoadEastbound only
8BMarine Vista to Marine Parade RoadEastbound only
10AMarine Parade FlyoverEast Coast Park Service RoadEastbound only
10BMarine Parade FlyoverStill Road South
11Tanjong Katong FlyoverTanjong Katong RoadEastbound only
13Tanjong Rhu FlyoverFort RoadWestbound only
14KPE
14AFort RoadEastbound only
14BMCEWestbound only
15Benjamin Sheares BridgeRochor Road,Beach Road, Marina Centre and Temasek Blvd
17AMarina Boulevard, Central Boulevard, Bayfront Ave, Marina SouthWestbound only

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Government Approves the Construction of MCE", Land Transport Authority, 27 July 2007
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