More sheltered walkways for commuters by 2018

SINGAPORE — More MRT and LRT stations will have new sheltered walkways to nearby facilities by 2018, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA). That is when 200km of new sheltered walkways under LTA’s Walk2Ride programme are expected to be completed.

LTA said in a news release today (Feb 2) that it has awarded two contracts to Or Kim Peow Contractors to build some of the walkways.

The first contract was awarded for S$60.9 million, and covers 38 LRT stations in Bukit Panjang, Sengkang and Punggol. The second contract, worth S$82.9 million, covers Bukit Merah bus interchange and 29 MRT stations in the central and southern areas of Singapore, such as Orchard, Novena, Tanjong Pagar and One North. Works are expected to commence in the fourth quarter of 2015.

Two other contracts were also awarded by the LTA last May to build sheltered walkways around 59 MRT stations in the north-eastern and north-western part of Singapore. Works have already started for these two contracts.

Currently, sheltered walkways connect transport nodes to public amenities only within a 200m radius. Under the Walk2Ride programme, announced two years ago, schools, healthcare facilities and residential developments will have sheltered walkways to MRT stations within a 400m radius and LRT stations and bus interchanges within a 200m radius. CHANNEL NEWSASIA