IT took seven years to build and seven minutes to traverse.
The underground Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) is Singapore’s costliest and most ambitious road project to date.
It stretches from Tampines in the northeast to to the east coast.
ST Graphic: G. Chandradas
As a transport journalist who has been following its development since 2001, I was eager to experience it first-hand.
The opportunity presented itself on opening day itself last Saturday. I had to pick up some otak-otak (spicy fish cake) in Jalan Kayu and popiah (spring roll) in East Coast Road for a house party.
From my home in Serangoon, I drove to my first stop via Yio Chu Kang Road. After picking up the otak-otak, it was time to make my way to the KPE and sample what this engineering marvel offered: driving for 9km without seeing the sky.
I headed in the direction of Seletar airbase and made a right towards TPE/PIE – Tampines Expressway/Pan-Island Expressway.
This would lead me to the northern entrance of the KPE tunnel.
The tarmac towards the KPE was wide and relatively empty. Perhaps not many motorists were aware of the opening. And it was the weekend after all.
After what seemed like a long while, the tunnel entrance was in sight, framed by huge luminous signs asking motorists to tune in to local radio stations.
In case of incidents, the Land Transport Authority will interrupt radio programmes to make emergency broadcasts.
The underground road is similar to the 17-year-old Central Expressway tunnels, but appears narrower and lower, perhaps because of the expensive-looking metal cladding lining the walls, which will shield unsightly water marks should there be leaks. And perhaps, because the tunnel is much longer and somewhat more winding.
Which explains the 70kmh speed limit, enforced by 10 laser cameras. That’s 10kmh lower than the limit in the CTE tunnels, which do not have any speed cameras - yet.
The LTA explains that the curvature of the road as well as its 13 entries and 14 exits made it necessary to have a more conservative limit. The length of the underground section is also a factor, as any incident could lead to a massive, claustrophobic tailback.
The tunnel signs are quite clear, except the one that reads “Do Not Drive On”. I was a bit alarmed, until I spotted the next panel which says “On the Road Shoulder.”
The KPE tarmac appears not as smoothly paved as the CTE’s. In the driver’s seat, you detect quite a bit of bounce along the way. LTA engineers attribute this to newness of the concrete tunnel, which is topped with a thin layer of bitumen. Over time, it should smoothen out, they say.
Driving at 70kmh and, occasionally, a tad over, I reached the other end of the tunnel in less than seven minutes.
But traffic was light on Saturday, as on Sunday (I was so thrilled I used it again the next day). Over certain stretches, mine was the only vehicle around. But I am sure the new expressway will fill up soon enough, as all expressways do.
When that happens, some of the 19 ERP gantries lining it will be switched on. But if a road lets you travel from Tampines to Fort Road in the east in seven minutes, ERP may well be worth it.
The only question is: why are gantries necessary at the exits if the expressed purpose of ERP is to limit the number of vehicles entering – and clogging up – the tunnel?
View a video of Christopher Tan as he drives through the KPE here.
Read also: Smooth traffic on KPE