The Marina Coastal Expressway ( Abbreviation : MCE ) is the ninth of Singapore's network of expressways . Construction for the MCE began in 2008 and was completed at the end of 2013. The expressway was officially opened on 28 December that year by Senior Minister of State Josephine Teo in the presence of Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong , and was opened for vehicular traffic the next day.
16-708: The Ayer Rajah Expressway ( AYE ) extends from the western end of the Marina Coastal Expressway (MCE) in the south of Singapore to Tuas in the west near the Tuas Second Link to Malaysia . Together with the MCE and the East Coast Parkway (ECP), it forms a second east-west link to complement the role played by the Pan Island Expressway (PIE). Construction on the expressway commenced in 1983, with
32-625: A "thankless job" but that "someone has to do it". He retired from politics in 2015 and is presently Executive Chairman of APS Asset Management and Senior Advisor to the Swire Group. Lim was a Rhodes Scholar and Colombo Plan scholar and holds degrees from the universities of Adelaide , Oxford and King's College, Cambridge (LLM, 1987). Prior to his university education, he was a student and athlete in Raffles Institution . Before taking on political office, he held numerous positions in
48-518: A view of the Singapore Strait . The tunnel includes a 420-metre (460-yard) stretch that travels under the seabed , 150 metres (160 yards) away from the Marina Barrage . This had posed particular engineering challenges in the tunnel construction as large amounts of water were let out from the barrage from time to time. At its deepest point, the expressway lies about 20 metres (66 ft) under
64-662: The KPE , which is 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) and has portions running under canals and rivers, cost only $ 1.74 billion. After the MCE was opened, the segment of the ECP between Central Boulevard and Benjamin Sheares Bridge was downgraded to become Sheares Avenue. The segment of the ECP between the AYE and Central Boulevard was permanently demolished. The first few days of operations was plagued by heavy traffic congestion due to drivers' unfamiliarity with
80-740: The offices , homes and recreational attractions there. It opens access to the Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore in Marina South and the existing Marina South Pier . Plans to extend the KPE to join the AYE began on 9 March 2006 to relieve congestion of the East Coast Parkway, and would be called Marina Coastal Expressway. Feasibility studies were conducted for the new expressway, and then Transport Minister Raymond Lim later announced on 27 July 2007 that approval had been given for
96-472: The MCE was opened on 29 December 2013, the ECP was truncated and the MCE had taken over parts of the route, which connects AYE to the Kallang–Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) and ECP. During the 2014 Singapore National Day rally , Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong spoke of the possibility of realigning the stretch of the AYE near Jurong Lake Gardens south to allow for more space to build housing in
112-531: The Prince Edward Road exit was removed and was replaced by Straits Boulevard exit with the ERP gantry being relocated from Prince Edward Road to Straits Boulevard. [REDACTED] Media related to Marina Coastal Expressway at Wikimedia Commons Raymond Lim Raymond Lim Siang Keat ( Chinese : 林双吉 ; pinyin : Lín Shuāngjí , born 24 June 1959) is a former Singaporean politician. A member of
128-788: The area. Government agencies later further explained that such a move would "integrate the Pandan Reservoir area with Jurong Lake District to form a larger and more cohesive development area". National Development Minister Desmond Lee gave an update on this proposed realignment on 30 June 2024, sharing that "agencies are currently studying various options, including how we can make it easier for residents to move between Teban Gardens and Jurong Lake District", with more information to be made available when ready. 1°19′20″N 103°45′01″E / 1.3222918°N 103.7502573°E / 1.3222918; 103.7502573 Marina Coastal Expressway The 5-kilometre (3.1-mile) MCE connects with
144-500: The construction beginning from 5 December 1993, the existing Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim from Tuas West Drive to Jurong Town Hall Road was widened and merged into Ayer Rajah Expressway which was opened on 18 November 1997. The expressway was extended to Tuas from Teban Flyover in conjunction with the opening of the Tuas Second Link to Johor on 2 January 1998. This construction, which followed the alignment of Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim, involved
160-436: The construction of a new 5 km long Marina Coastal Expressway (MCE) at a cost of $ 2.5 billion. The expressway, which includes Singapore's first undersea tunnel, links the East Coast Parkway and Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway to Marina South and Ayer Rajah Expressway and opened to traffic on 29 December 2013. The expressway comprises a 3.5-kilometre (2.2-mile) tunnel , while the rest are at grade or depressed, with
176-520: The expansion of the existing road to match with the width of the rest of the AYE, construction of "filter" roads on both sides of the expressway (which eventually took the name of Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim), and the building of five flyovers and two underpasses. It meets up with the PIE at the Tuas Flyover. The eastern terminus of the AYE used to continue onto the western terminus of the East Coast Parkway (ECP). After
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#1732851285331192-486: The expressway as well as connections with other roads and expressways. There was reportedly heavier than usual traffic, compared to using the old route via ECP, on 29 December 2013, the first day the MCE opened. The situation was exacerbated on the next day with the Monday morning peak hour traffic. However, the majority of drivers are aware of the road changes. On 28 September 2014, with the road changes in Marina South area,
208-491: The first two phases completed by 1988. This section involved the widening of several existing roads along the way, such as Ayer Rajah Road and Upper Ayer Rajah Road, as well as the construction of what was then the longest road viaduct , the Keppel Viaduct, from where the eastern end of the expressway commences. The road extends from Alexandra Road until Keppel Road. It ends at Teban Flyover along Jurong Town Hall Road . With
224-594: The governing People's Action Party (PAP), Lim has been a Member of Parliament (MP) representing the East Coast Group Representation Constituency for Fengshan from 2001 to 2015. He served as the Minister for Transport from 2006 to 2011, and as a Minister in the Prime Minister's Office from 2005 to 2006. When taking on the transport portfolio, he was informed by Lee Kwan Yew that this was
240-486: The seabed. The 5-kilometre (3.1-mile) long MCE is Singapore's most expensive expressway. On 28 April 2009, the Land Transport Authority revealed that it has awarded about S$ 4.1 billion worth of contracts, much more than the initial estimate of $ 2.5 billion. The construction of the MCE also required undersea dredging . More than 22 hectares (54 acres) of land was reclaimed to build the MCE. In contrast,
256-571: The southern end of the Kallang–Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) and its junction with the East Coast Parkway (ECP) to the eastern end of the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE). This links the eastern and western parts of Singapore to the New Downtown , currently being developed in the Marina Bay area. The MCE, with five lanes in each direction, handles the large number of commuters to be drawn to
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