SINGAPORE - A new U-turn in Dunearn Road near Newton Circus was opened on Sunday (Sept 12), allowing drivers to turn into Woodlands-bound Bukit Timah Road without having to use the congested roundabout. With this, all the enhancement works at Newton Circus, which began in 2017, have been completed. Another U-turn, on the other side of Newton Circus, which allows motorists to turn from Woodlands-bound Bukit Timah Road towards the city, opened in July. The authorities hope these will reduce the number of vehicles using the roundabout, which recorded an average of nine accidents a year between 2016 and 2018. Thousands of people should benefit from the completion of the project, which had been slightly delayed by Covid-19. Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth Alvin Tan, who is the MP representing the area, said the new U-turn will help motorists and residents better navigate Newton Circus, which “can be a bit of a mess”. Parents dropping off their children in the schools nearby – such as Singapore Chinese Girls’ School and ACS (Barker Road) – will hopefully also find peak-hour traffic less daunting, he said. “The new U-turn should alleviate traffic even more than the previous U-turn opened in July,” he said. “In the past year, I had to placate some residents who were unhappy about the delay. Their feedback has been heard.” Over the years, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) made various changes to Newton Circus. It added a new pedestrian crossing between Newton Road and Dunearn Road, completed in July, to allow easier access to Newton MRT Station. A bus stop in Bukit Timah Road was reconstructed so buses are able to stop within the bus bay without encroaching into the neighbouring lane. Newton Circus was also widened in June to give more space for vehicles, especially public buses, which found it difficult to manoeuvre the turn. Traffic lights were added in June at the roundabout junction of Bukit Timah Road and Clemenceau Avenue North. On Sunday, the LTA also gave updates of enhancement works at the Balmoral Road junction, which had been under way before the Covid-19 pandemic as well. Two U-turns were added there too, and both opened in June. One, in front of ACS (Primary), allows motorists to turn from Dunearn Road into Bukit Timah Road without going all the way to the Newton roundabout. The second, in front of Balmoral Plaza, allows those on Bukit Timah Road to turn into Dunearn Road. A new slip road from Chancery Lane to Dunearn Road was added in March to allow vehicles to filter out quickly, while Bukit Timah Road in front of Balmoral Plaza was increased from three lanes to four. A left turning lane was added on the same road to help motorists going to Balmoral Road to filter left faster. A bus stop in front of Balmoral Plaza was relocated away from the main road to make it more convenient for commuters. Two more projects, a sheltered walkway along Bukit Timah Road and Dunearn Road, as well as a drop-off shelter in front of Goodwood Residence, are under construction. More on this topic Related Story More road dividers to be installed at Tanjong Pagar Road after fatal CNY accident Related Story Footpath along shophouses in Havelock Road to be widened for better pedestrian access
SINGAPORE - A flash flood on Tuesday (Aug 24) morning that caused roads to become impassable in Dunearn Road between Sime Darby Centre and Binjai Park subsided within 40 minutes, said national water agency PUB. But heavy rain is posing a flash flood risk to other areas, including Upper Bukit Timah Road from Hazel Park Terrace to Chestnut Drive, the junction between Woodlands Road and Kranji Expressway, as well as in Sunset Drive and Sunset Way. People should avoid these areas for now, said PUB in a Facebook post. “Due to heavy rain, water levels in drains and canals have reached 90 per cent in these areas,” it added. As for the flash flood in Dunearn Road, PUB said roads became impassable at 10.08am. Its officers were deployed to render assistance, and water levels subsided at about 10.50am. This is the second time this year that a flash flood has occurred in Dunearn Road near Sime Darby Centre. On April 17, heavy rain caused a similar incident. The incidents there come amid ongoing works to widen and deepen the Bukit Timah Canal between Rifle Range Road and Jalan Kampong Chantek, to alleviate the risk of flash floods in the area. In a written response to a parliamentary question on the April flash floods in the area , Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said works are expected to be finished in 2024. “When completed, we expect the top water level in this section of the canal to be lower by over 1m for the same rainfall intensity experienced on April 17,” she said. The Meteorological Service Singapore said earlier this month that more thundery showers are expected for the rest of August, with the monsoon rainband hovering over the equatorial South-east Asia region where the Republic is. On Friday (Aug 20), heavy rain caused a flood at about 7am at the junction of Tampines Avenue 10 and Pasir Ris Drive 12, which is not a historical flooding hot spot. The incident caused vehicles to become partially submerged in the rainwater, leaving 13 drivers stuck at the road junction. The Singapore Civil Defence Force sent two fire engines and two ambulances, with firefighters rescuing five people from four cars in just under an hour. The thundery showers then had been caused by a clash of winds blowing from the north and south of Singapore. When surface winds blowing from different directions meet in this way, some air is forced upwards and this facilitates the formation of rain clouds. The authorities are investigating if construction works in the vicinity had tempered with drains or obstructed the drainage flow of storm water, causing the flood on Friday. Barriers carried away by flood on Bukit Timah Road near The Nexus on Aug 24, 2021 Flooded walkway outside King Albert Park MRT entrance on Bukit Timah Road on Aug 24, 2021 More on this topic Related Story askST: Is it safe to drive through a flood? Related Story Flash floods around S'pore caused by clash of winds
SINGAPORE - There have been calls over the years for harsher penalties for dog owners and walkers who fail to pick up after their dogs in public spaces. Such behaviour can also cause friction among neighbours. To encourage dog owners to clean up their act in Bukit Timah, where up to a third of the households are dog owners, a group of young people launched the PAWsitive Norms campaign last Saturday (April 10). They aim to get dog owners to abide by what they describe as previously unwritten social norms - namely keeping dogs leashed on walks, cleaning up any dog waste and throwing it away in designated bins. "For a lot of us in the area, this issue (of dog waste littering) is a longstanding one so we decided to take it into our own hands," said Mr Tatum Khoo, chairman of the Bukit Timah Youth Network behind the campaign. The 24-year-old public servant said the idea had been in the works for a while, but was firmed up at the end of last year. For a start, the campaign has invited people to make virtual pledges to express their support for the guidelines. The campaign has started in the Mayfair Park Estate in Upper Bukit Timah, and organisers hope to take it throughout the estate and possibly beyond. Mayfair Park resident Mavis Kuek, a retired corporate communications professional in her 60s, said: "I think it's good to remind people about acting responsibly and it's great that this is a community effort to give us a place that we and our furry friends can enjoy." PAWsitive Norms was launched at the official opening of the Mayfair Park Playground Dog Run, where dogs can play unleashed, by Senior Minister of State Sim Ann, who is an MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC. Senior Minister of State Sim Ann petting her beagle (left) and a husky (right) in the Mayfair Park Dog Run on April 10, 2021. ST PHOTO: YONG LI XUAN The dog run is one of about 14 in parks around Singapore. About 15 dog owners attended its opening with their pets in Mayfair Park, a small community park on the edge of the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. Accountant Lim Ee Yin, 50, a Mayfair Park Estate resident who was there with her two-year-old shiba inu named Suki, said: "I think it's great. It gives dogs a safe place to run and we don't have to worry that they will run off onto the road or run off, and they can play with one another and make friends." More on this topic Related Story New dog run opens at East Coast Park, largest in eastern S'pore Related Story More people in S'pore interested in adopting or fostering pets during Covid-19 pandemic
SINGAPORE - Since its reopening late last year after about two years of restoration work, the Bukit Timah Truss Bridge along the Rail Corridor has become a popular photo stop for hikers and cyclists alike. Another truss bridge, the Upper Bukit Timah Truss Bridge, was officially reopened on Monday (March 22). While the industrial beauty of both rustic bridges is immediately apparent, the painstaking effort made to restore them to their former glory will likely go unnoticed by most people who walk or cycle along them today. That few realise restoration works have been done is a testament to a job done well, said Mr Teo Chong Yean, a director at the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) who was involved in enhancement works along the Rail Corridor. He said the team was meticulous in its efforts to restore the two 1932 bridges, which are located next to The Rail Mall and at the western end of Dunearn Road and Bukit Timah Road. For instance, they ensured that each sleeper, clip and spike of train tracks was put back in its exact position on the bridges after being removed for drainage works. To achieve such precision, laser scanning technology was used to map the position of each of these parts. Taking Upper Bukit Timah Truss Bridge as an example, all its 172 sleepers - 114 timber and 58 concrete - were labelled after removal so they would be reinstated correctly. Rotten timber sleepers were replaced by sleepers salvaged from other parts of the former railway. A bed of stones around the track was also relaid to form a continuous and relatively flat path on both sides of the rail to make it safer to walk on. The land along the former Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) railway track was returned to Singapore after the Malaysian rail operator ceased train services here in 2011. The ensuing public debate over what to do with the land was described as a watershed in Singapore's heritage discourse in a 2015 book, Heritage, by current director of the Asian Civilisations Museum Kennie Ting. New landscaped stairs at the southern end of the Upper Bukit Timah Truss Bridge near The Rail Mall. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI A bed of stones around the track was also relaid to form a continuous and relatively flat path on both sides of the rail to make it safer to walk on. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI Advocacy groups like the Nature Society (Singapore) and Singapore Heritage Society collectively proposed that the entire 24km land track be preserved as a green corridor, instead of being turned over to developers. In response, the Government adopted a more "open, conciliatory and consultative approach" in drawing up plans for the space, said Mr Ting. The restored truss bridges, which both stand over busy roads, bear marks of this approach. During the restoration process, various railing prototypes were set up, and community members were invited to give their input on which type they thought was most suitable for the restored bridge. Railings that are too thick might spoil the look of the bridge, while those with beams spaced too far apart might pose a safety risk. Such factors were considered before the URA team eventually selected simple design with thin bars. More on this topic Related Story 4km Rail Corridor stretch between Hillview and Bukit Timah reopens Related Story S'pore's rail corridor: An escape from city living and a nostalgic view of the past
SINGAPORE - A new bus terminal for Bukit Panjang will open from Jan 23, according to a Facebook post by the Land Transport Authority on Monday (Jan 4). The Gali Batu Bus Terminal, located in Woodlands Road, replaces the Bukit Panjang Temporary Bus Park. With the opening of the new terminal, services 75 and 184 will be extended to serve more commuters with two more pairs of bus stops along Woodlands Road. Service 974 will loop at Bukit Panjang town centre and skip a bus stop along Upper Bukit Timah Road. The bus stop outside Bukit Panjang Station Exit A will allow for both boarding and alighting instead. The bus terminal is built on the rooftop of the Gali Batu MRT depot.