Coastal Adventure Corridor to have wider tracks, self-help stations for cyclists

SINGAPORE — The Coastal Adventure Corridor, which is the first section of a 150km continuous park connector, will feature wider tracks than those found in most park connectors. It will stretch from Rower’s Bay at Lower Seletar Reservoir Park through to Gardens by the Bay, winding through the coasts of Punggol, Pasir Ris, Changi and East Coast Park.

Works on this 60km corridor are set to start by the end of this year, with a tender to be called soon. 

This will be the first of three corridors to be developed along the Round Island Route, and it will have a new cycling bridge linking the eastern and western ends of the Sengkang Riverside Park, a key activity node along the route.  

Ms Kartini Omar, National Parks Board’s group director of parks development, said that cyclists need not dismount on the bridge, making for “more seamless connectivity”. More of such cycling bridges will go up along the route for the convenience of cyclists. 

To enable otters to build their holts, or dens, a man-made island with wetland plantings will also be created as part of the design of the bridge at the Sengkang Riverside Park. 

The continuous Round Island Route will have 6m-wide tracks, broader than the 4m-wide ones found in most existing park connectors that it will complement. When completed, it will link parks and park connectors as well as natural, cultural, historical and recreational sites. 

Giving more details to the media on Thursday, Ms Kartini said that the Round Island Route would offer scenic views of the coastal areas, and have facilities such as shelters, toilets and rest-stops to add to the cycling experience. Users may unwind and take in the views at picturesque gathering spots.

Rower’s Bay, for instance, would be one such scenic rest-stop, affording views onto the Lower Seletar Reservoir and a choice spot for phototaking, Ms Kartini said.  

There will also be amenities such as lookout points, information panels, bicycle parking racks and self-help bicycle-repair stations at various spots along the route. 

Along the way, cyclists may see a variety of fauna, including the smooth-coated otter and the oriental pied hornbill. 

The existing park connectors linked to the Round Island Route will include the Punggol, Paris Ris and Changi park connectors, as well as parks such as the Pasir Ris, Changi Beach and East Coast parks.

On Saturday morning (July 9), Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong unveiled a plaque at the Sengkang Riverside Park to mark the start of works on the Round Island Route.