Marina Coastal Expressway, Singapore

The tenth expressway, Marina Coastal Expressway (MCE) will be approximately 5km long and will have a dual five lane. Due to the emerging needs and the changing face of Singapore this is expected to be one of the important landmarks connecting the island-wide road network. The Marina South and Strait View areas will now have a direct connecting route with the underground east-west transport link. The link is common to Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE), East Coast Parkway (ECP) and the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE).

Due to the increased development activity in the area MCE would be the most viable link for all commuters from Marina Bay to the rest of the island. MCE can help ease the situation in the near future with the increase in traffic which is expected to rise exponentially with the development activity. A few upcoming developments in the vicinity are Marina Bay Financial Centre, Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort, the Sail @Marina Bay and the Marina Barrage.

Project facts

The total length of the route comprises of road tunnel which is approximately 3.6km long, 13.1 hectares (ha) of repossessed land and two ventilation buildings. MCE would run via parts of the land recovered and also the 420m section running below the seabed of Marina Bay. MCE also runs through the three interchanges with KPE/ECP, Central and Marina Boulevard and AYE.

Reclamation land

To assist in the building of the MCE, a land reclamation activity will be taking place which is up to 13.1ha. The whole reclamation process will be done at Marina East (4ha) and also at Marina Wharf (9.1ha ).

Key arterial road – conversion of ECP

In order to utilise the land available in the Marina bay area, MCE plans to replace a part of ECP at Marina centre, central sub zone areas and bay front area. This would facilitate realignment of ECP and its adjacent slip roads at central sub zones and the bay front. This will largely help in the smooth progress in the Central Business District’s (CBD) development. Realigning the ECP at the Marina South area, its conversion would help it in serving the Marina Bay area, as a key arterial road.

Update on new developments

Last of the six major civil contracts for the construction of the MCE were given by The Land Transport Authority (LTA) in January 2009. Four contracts having a prerequisite of various Electrical & Mechanical (E&M) and Cladding systems necessary for the road tunnel were also awarded.

With a total value of $4.1bn LTA has awarded up to ten contracts for the construction of MCE. Marina South was the host to the ground breaking ceremony that took place on 28 April 2009 and construction work has since begun.

The transport minister, Raymond Lim who presided over the ground breaking project at the barrage, explained the intricate complexity of the construction process. It can be one of the LTA’s most technically challenging projects.

Lying beneath the sea bed, will be MCE’s 420-metre section. MCE would be about 20 metres below sea level at its deepest point. With the soil condition being difficult, the excavation work could be running up to 60 metres in few sections. Keeping the safety in mind, the right construction methods are being used, to keep the structure’s foundation strong.

Date of completion

With a vision to improve and build Singapore’s land transport network in the approaching 10-15 years, the development of MCE would be a testimony to the government’s going forward plan. The MCE’s construction is most likely to be completed by the end of 2013.