marina coastal expressway

singapore opens its newest expressway this morning. this expressway, christened as the marina coastal expressway [or mce]), connects the kallang-paya lebar (kpe) expressway to the ayer raja expressway (aye) and is largely underground (including a 400-plus meters under the sea). quite an exciting development that took 5-years to complete. with the opening of this expressway, the east coast expressway (ecp) will be shortened and be converted into a feeder road into the city.

i decided to take a drive on the mce this morning with mum and the maid, and enjoyed the drive. as in all major projects undertaken by the singapore government, the opening was a non-affair. everything was smooth and went without a hitch. of cos, there was a minor road works that was still on-going as the contractors continued to complete the final steps of closing the (old) ecp. but on the whole, it was very smooth.

and interestingly speaking, there were many other curious drivers testing out this new expressway too. and i noted something that we do not see often in singaporean drivers - all drivers slowed down and drove at a slower speed of 60-70km/hr and they give way to one another! haha… singaporean drivers are known to be road terrors and speed like crazy on the road, especially expressways! so this extra civic-mindedness and care while driving was a very good experience.

then again, the opening of the mce means that when we drive from the east to the west (or vice versa), we will no longer be able to enjoy the city sights again…

:-)