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West Coast Highway (; ms, Lebuhraya Pantai Barat; ta, மேற்கு கடற்கரை நெடுஞ்சாலை) is a major
arterial road An arterial road or arterial thoroughfare is a high-capacity urban road that sits below freeways/motorways on the road hierarchy in terms of traffic flow and speed. The primary function of an arterial road is to deliver traffic from collector ro ...
in Singapore which links Jurong industrial estate and Clementi New Town to the city. It is an
at-grade At-grade may refer to: * At-grade intersection, a crossing between roads on the same level * Road junction *Level crossing, where a road or path crosses a railway on the same level * Diamond crossing, where two railway tracks cross * At-grade railwa ...
road from its junction with Pandan Loop and West Coast Road to its interchange with Pasir Panjang Road, where it becomes a
grade-separated In civil engineering (more specifically highway engineering), grade separation is a method of aligning a junction of two or more surface transport axes at different heights (grades) so that they will not disrupt the traffic flow on other tran ...
viaduct A viaduct is a specific type of bridge that consists of a series of arches, piers or columns supporting a long elevated railway or road. Typically a viaduct connects two points of roughly equal elevation, allowing direct overpass across a wide v ...
; the viaduct merges with Keppel Road before its interchange with
Ayer Rajah Expressway The Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE) extends from the western end of the Marina Coastal Expressway in the south of Singapore to Tuas in the west near the Tuas Second Link to Malaysia. Together with the Marina Coastal Expressway and the East Coast ...
. The total length of the highway is 11 km. The viaduct is newer than the at-grade section, having been completed in 2006. Despite what its name may suggest, the speed limit on the highway is less than that of an expressway. The highway also has a few traffic light junctions, something that expressways do not have. The at-grade section of the highway is a three-lane
dual carriageway A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...
, and the viaduct is a two-lane dual carriageway with a 1-metre hard shoulder. At a length of 5 km, the viaduct is the longest in Singapore.


Extension

The
Land Transport Authority The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Transport of the Government of Singapore. History Incorporation of Land Transport Authority Land Transport Authority (LTA) was established on 1 September 1995, f ...
started modifying and extending the highway in the late 1990s, in response to the increased amount of traffic using it. Its intersection with Clementi Road was widened in 2000. To allow motorists to bypass intersections at
Pasir Panjang Road Pasir Panjang is an area located at the southern part of Queenstown in Singapore. Kent Ridge Park is a topographical feature which runs adjacent to Pasir Panjang. History Pasir Panjang Road, which once hugged the coastline, was laid down a ...
, LTA's plans also called for the construction of a viaduct that would provide a direct link from the highway to Keppel Road on the outskirts of the city area. The viaduct was built in two phases of 2.4 km each. The first phase, from Keppel Road to Telok Blangah Street 31, started construction in 1998 and was opened to traffic on 27 April 2002. The contract to build the second phase of the viaduct from Telok Blangah Street 31 to the highway's junction with Pasir Panjang Road, worth S$16.7 million, was awarded to L&M Prestressing in January 2000, and the viaduct was expected to be complete by July 2003. However, work slowed in late 2002 because L&M encountered financial problems. L&M then promised LTA that the viaduct would be completed in May 2005. LTA agreed to give the company time to complete it, but when work had still not finished by that time, LTA terminated the contract on 1 June 2005 and called for an open tender to find a new contractor to finish the work. On 1 August 2005, LTA awarded the contract to '' Gammon'', which completed the remaining work on schedule in March 2006. The viaduct's completion was commemorated with an opening ceremony and fun walk on 25 March 2006, with the then Minister for Transport
Yeo Cheow Tong Yeo Cheow Tong (; born 22 June 1947) is a former Singaporean politician. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he served in the Cabinet from 1990 to 2006, and was a Member of Parliament (MP) of Hong Kah SMC from 12 December 198 ...
officiating; it was opened to traffic on 26 March 2006. At the same time, the intersection of the highway with Jalan Buroh was converted from a box junction into a controlled roundabout with traffic lights. A slip road allows motorists to get to Jalan Buroh from the direction of the city without having to stop. The conversion started in May 2001 and was completed in the third quarter of 2005. The roundabout was converted back into a box junction after the opening of a new flyover across Jalan Buroh in November 2016. In May 2009 construction of a new dual three-lane flyover at the junction of West Coast Highway and Clementi Road started. The flyover will cost S$57.5 million. The flyover allows motorists to bypass the current traffic light junction and shorten travel time along the highway. The flyover was completed in the third quarter of 2011.


Viaduct entrances and exits

There are 2 entry ramps for the entire viaduct travelling towards the city – one at its start before the junction with Pasir Panjang Road, and another after the junction with Morse Road, near Henderson Road. Thus, city-bound motorists who miss the entry ramp at Pasir Panjang will have to travel for another 2.4 km – half the length of the viaduct – before they can get onto it at Morse Road. There are 2 exit ramps – a U-shaped one just before Kampong Bahru Road, intended for vehicles going to the Keppel and Pulau Brani container terminals, and the other one after Kampong Bahru Road, where the viaduct merges with Keppel Road. Travelling towards Clementi, there is one entry ramp – before Kampong Bahru Road. There are three exit ramps, one before Henderson Road, one before Alexandra Road and another after Pasir Panjang Road.


Prominent places

West Coast Highway passes by the following places: *
West Coast Park West Coast Park is a park located at the south-westernmost corner of Queenstown, Singapore, Queenstown in Singapore. It runs parallel to West Coast Highway, Singapore, West Coast Highway. The park covers an area of roughly 50 hectares. Descripti ...
* Haw Par Villa * Pasir Panjang container terminal and Pasir Panjang Distripark *
Labrador Park Labrador Nature Reserve (Chinese: 拉柏多自然保护区, Malay: Kawasan Simpanan Alam Semulajadi Labrador), also known locally as Labrador Park (拉柏多公园, Taman Labrador), is located in the southern part of mainland Singapore. It is home ...
*
HarbourFront Harbourfront may refer to: * Harbourfront (Toronto), a neighbourhood in Toronto ** 509 Harbourfront, Toronto streetcar route **Harbourfront Centre, cultural organization on the waterfront of Toronto * HarbourFront (Singapore), waterfront site in Si ...
* VivoCity


See also

* Expressways of Singapore * Outer Ring Road System * Nicoll Highway


References


External links


Text of speech given by Yeo Cheow Tong at the opening ceremony of the West Coast Highway extension
{{Expressways of Singapore Roads in Singapore Boon Lay Bukit Merah Clementi Jurong East Queenstown, Singapore