Marina Coastal Expressway

The Marina Coastal Expressway (Abbreviation: MCE) is the tenth of Singapore's network of expressways. Construction for the MCE began in 2008 and was completed at the end of 2013.^[1][2] It had its opening ceremony on 28 December 2013 by Senior Minister of State Josephine Teo, together with Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong^[3] and was officially opened on 29 December 2013.^[4][5]

Route

The 5-kilometre (3.1-mile) MCE connects with the southern end of the KPE and its junction with the ECP to the eastern end of 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 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.^[2]

List of Exits

History

Construction

A video of the Marina Coastal Expressway (MCE) taken from a car travelling in an east-to-west direction towards Tuas, from Exit 14B of the East Coast Parkway to where the MCE joins the Ayer Rajah Expressway

The expressway comprises a 3.5-kilometre (2.2-mile) underground tunnel, while the rest are at grade or depressed, with a view of the Singapore Strait.^[6] The underground tunnel includes a 420-metre (459-yard) stretch that travels under the seabed, 150 metres (164 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.^[7] At its deepest point, the expressway lies about 20 metres (66 ft) under the seabed.^[2]

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.^[8] The construction of the MCE also required undersea dredging. More than 22 hectares (54 acres) of land was reclaimed to build the MCE.^[2] In contrast, 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 a four-lane arterial road and realigned. The segment of the ECP between the AYE and Central Boulevard will eventually be removed to facilitate the expansion of the city southwards. As the original ECP layout blocks the expansion of the city southwards, the revised layout allows the city to expand towards the New Downtown.^[9]

Criticisms

There was reportedly heavier than usual traffic, compared to using the old route via ECP, on 29 December 2013, the first day it opened. The following day, a Monday, a heavy jam occurred, and there were plenty of criticisms by drivers in Singapore of the expressway, due to the jams. Some were reportedly stuck in the jam for one hour. Common reasons cited for the slow traffic included unfamiliarity with how the MCE connects with other roads and expressways.^[10]

References

Expressways and semi-expressways of Singapore
Expressways	Ayer Rajah Expressway Bukit Timah Expressway Central Expressway East Coast Parkway Kallang–Paya Lebar Expressway Kranji Expressway Marina Coastal Expressway North–South Expressway (planned) Pan Island Expressway Seletar Expressway Tampines Expressway
Semi-expressways	Bukit Timah Road Jurong Island Highway Nicoll Highway Outer Ring Road System West Coast Highway Singapore Underground Road System (planned)