The Marymount Flyover will reopen when construction of the North-South Corridor road tunnel is completed in 2029. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
SINGAPORE – The Marymount Flyover in Upper Thomson will be closed from Oct 8 to allow construction to be done on the North-South Corridor (NSC) road tunnel, part of which will run underneath the flyover.
The flyover will reopen when construction of the road tunnel is completed in 2029, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Tuesday in response to queries from The Straits Times.
Announcing the move in a Facebook post on Monday night, LTA said motorists travelling along Marymount Road will be diverted to a new road with a signalised junction that intersects with Braddell Road.
The authority said the change means motorists can expect extra travelling time of five to 10 minutes during peak hours.
For motorists travelling on Marymount Road towards Ang Mo Kio or the city, they can continue along the new road, which will accommodate traffic going in both directions.
Motorists heading to Serangoon via Marymount Road can make a left turn near Raffles Institution onto Braddell Road.
There will be no change in travel direction for those driving along Braddell Road towards MacRitchie or Serangoon.
LTA advised motorists to slow down and look out for signs along the roads to guide them through the diversion.
It will continue monitoring the area’s traffic situation and make adjustments if needed, said LTA.
The NSC’s 8.8km viaduct portion from Admiralty Road West to Lentor Avenue is targeted to open in 2027. The remaining 12.3km of road tunnels between Lentor Avenue and East Coast Parkway – which include the segment that will run underneath Marymount Flyover – will be completed in 2029.
Once ready, the corridor will ease heavy traffic on the Central Expressway as well as major arterial roads nearby.
LTA told ST that an existing bus stop in Marymount Road – for bus services 54 and 851 travelling towards Ang Mo Kio – will be relocated slightly, but the bus services and routes will not change.
The existing staircases at Marymount Flyover will also be closed, and pedestrians can use the footpath along the new road.
Video editor Peter Pang, 38, said the closure could result in heavier jams along Marymount Road, as the flyover and its surrounding roads are already busy.
Without this “shortcut” bridging Bishan and the city, the Bishan resident said he would refrain from taking a bus and instead commute by train to avoid the “crazy congestion” that could take place.
Former project officer Adrian Chia, 44, who used to drive from Bishan to Alexandra for work, predicts that traffic would worsen significantly during the rush hour with the closure of the flyover.
This is beyond the usual 15-minute jams he previously experienced during peak hours, said the Bishan resident.
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