Novena Roads To Undergo Construction From 18 Oct, Motorists May Experience Longer Travelling Time

If there’s one thing that everyone hates, it’s a traffic jam. 

Being stuck in a traffic jam takes away time that we can never get back, time that would be better spent watching cute cat videos on YouTube.

Everyone gets cranky, the horns start blaring, and our blood pressure rises.

If you’re one of those motorists who feels murderous rage whenever you’re stuck in a jam, you might want to learn some relaxation techniques soon.

Novena Roads To Undergo Construction From 18 Oct, Motorists May Experience Longer Travelling Time

If you drive every day and your commute involves travelling along Thomson Road, then I have some bad news for you.

From 18 Oct, motorists travelling along this road are expected to experience longer travelling times due to road modifications, according to the Land Transport Authority (LTA).

Specifically, these modifications will be made at the Thomson Road junction with Newton Road and Moulmein Road, to create work spaces for construction works.

This means that the cross-junction will be reconfigured into two T-junctions, with works beginning on 17 Oct at 8pm, and ending at 10am the next day.

Consequently, certain lanes will be closed, so motorists can expect to add four to five minutes to their travelling time, especially during the morning peak hours.

LTA has advised them to plan ahead for their journeys.

Commuters on the ground will also be affected on 11 Oct as the bus stop outside Novena Square will be relocated to outside Royal Square, to facilitate the modifications.

On this day, pedestrians can expect a slightly longer walk, which will add two to three minutes to their journey.

This road reconfiguration will only be temporary, though, as the cross junction will be reinstated in late 2022.

Construction of North-South Corridor

So, what are these modifications for?

According to Mothership, these changes have been implemented to facilitate the construction of the North-South Corridor (NSC), Singapore’s longest Transit Priority Corridor.

The corridor will reportedly ease congestion on the CTE and major arterial roads. Bus commuters can also expect to save an average of 10 to 15 minutes during peak hours.

The NSC will have dedicated bus lanes, cycling trunk routes, and pedestrian paths, to serve public bus commuters, active mobility users, and pedestrians, LTA said.

Once completed, the 21.5km-long corridor will directly connect the Northern region and the city centre.

The Thomson Road junction is affected as the NSC tunnels will run under it.

Novena Underpasses to Close from 2021

LTA also plans to build a new series of underpasses in Novena by 2026, which means several underpasses in the area will be closed from 2021.

This includes:

• the underpass linking Novena MRT station and Goldhill Shopping Centre (closed in the first quarter of 2021)
• the underpass linking Velocity@Novena Square and Revenue House (closed in the second quarter of 2021)

A replacement overhead bridge will be constructed in the second quarter, though, so don’t worry about getting around.

This also means that if your daily commute necessitates taking this bridge, you can look forward to thighs of steel.

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