The Marina Coastal Expressway (

Abbreviation An abbreviation () is a shortened form of a word or phrase, by any method including shortening (linguistics), shortening, contraction (grammar), contraction, initialism (which includes acronym), or crasis. An abbreviation may be a shortened for ...

: MCE) is the ninth of Singapore's

network Network, networking and networked may refer to: Science and technology * Network theory, the study of graphs as a representation of relations between discrete objects * Network science, an academic field that studies complex networks Mathematics ...

expressways Expressway may refer to: *Controlled-access highway, the highest-grade type of highway with access ramps, lane markings, etc., for high-speed traffic *Limited-access road, a lower grade of highway or arterial road * ''Expressway'' (film), a 2016 Fi ...

. Construction for the MCE began in 2008 and was completed at the end of 2013. The expressway was officially opened on 28 December that year by Senior Minister of State

Josephine Teo Josephine Teo Li Min. In this Chinese name, the family name is Teo (''née'' Yong). In accordance with custom, the Western-style name is Josephine Teo and the Chinese-style name is Teo Li Min. (née Yong; born 8 July 1968) is a Singaporean ...

in the presence of Emeritus Senior Minister

Goh Chok Tong Goh Chok Tong (born 20 May 1941) is a Singaporean former politician who served as the second prime minister of Singapore from 1990 to 2004 and as a senior minister of Singapore from 2004 to 2011. He served as the secretary-general of the Peo ...

, and was opened for vehicular traffic the next day.

Route

The 5-kilometre (3.1-mile) MCE connects with the southern end of the

Kallang–Paya Lebar Expressway The Kallang–Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) is the third newest of Singapore's network of expressways. The southern (Kallang) section of the expressway opened first, on 26 October 2007, with the remaining (Paya Lebar) section opened on 20 Septem ...

(KPE) and its junction with the

East Coast Parkway The East Coast Parkway (Abbreviation: ECP) is a fully-controlled access expressway that runs along the southeastern coast of Singapore. It is approximately in length. As of July 2022, it is Singapore's third-longest expressway. The expressway ...

(ECP) to the eastern end of the

Ayer Rajah Expressway The Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE) extends from the western end of the Marina Coastal Expressway (MCE) in the south of Singapore to Tuas in the west near the Tuas Second Link to Malaysia. Together with the MCE and the East Coast Parkway (ECP) ...

(AYE). This links the eastern and western parts of Singapore to the New

Downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...

, currently being developed in the Marina Bay area. The MCE, with five

lane In road transport, a lane is part of a roadway that is designated to be used by a single line of vehicles to control and guide drivers and reduce traffic conflicts. Most public roads (highways) have at least two lanes, one for traffic in eac ...

s in each direction, handles the large number of

commuter Commuting is periodically recurring travel between a place of residence and place of work or study, where the traveler, referred to as a commuter, leaves the boundary of their home community. By extension, it can sometimes be any regular o ...

s to be drawn to the

office An office is a space where the employees of an organization perform Business administration, administrative Work (human activity), work in order to support and realize the various goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a po ...

home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...

s and

recreation Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for happiness, enjoyment, amusement, ...

al attractions there. It opens access to the

Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore The Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore (MBCCS) is a cruise terminal in Singapore, located at Marina South. The construction of the S$500 million terminal began in October 2009 and was completed on 22 May 2012. It received its first ship, the '' ...

Marina South Marina South is a planning area located within the Central Area of the Central Region of Singapore. It is largely home to Gardens by the Bay as well as the Marina Barrage. The name has also been used to refer to the larger peninsula the plannin ...

and the existing

Marina South Pier Marina South Pier is a pier that is located in Marina South, Singapore. It is used as a terminal for tourists and day-trippers who are boarding small boats and ferries heading for the Southern Islands. There are regular ferries from the pier to ...

List of interchanges and exits

History

Plans to extend the KPE to join the AYE began on 9 March 2006 to relieve congestion of the East Coast Parkway, and would be called Marina Coastal Expressway. Feasibility studies were conducted for the new expressway, and then Transport Minister

Raymond Lim Raymond Lim Siang Keat ( zh, s=林双吉, p=Lín Shuāngjí, born 24 June 1959) is a Singaporean former politician. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), Lim was a Member of Parliament (MP) representing the East Coast Group Repr ...

later announced on 27 July 2007 that approval had been given for the construction of a new 5 km long Marina Coastal Expressway (MCE) at a cost of $2.5 billion. The expressway, which includes Singapore's first undersea tunnel, links the

and Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway to

and

and opened to traffic on 29 December 2013. The expressway comprises a

tunnel A tunnel is an underground or undersea passageway. It is dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, or laid under water, and is usually completely enclosed except for the two portals common at each end, though there may be access and ve ...

, while the rest are at grade or depressed, with a view of the

Singapore Strait The Singapore Strait is a , strait between the Strait of Malacca in the west and the South China Sea in the east. Singapore is on the north of the channel, and the Indonesian Riau Islands are on the south. The two countries share a maritime ...

. The tunnel includes a stretch that travels under the

seabed The seabed (also known as the seafloor, sea floor, ocean floor, and ocean bottom) is the bottom of the ocean. All floors of the ocean are known as seabeds. The structure of the seabed of the global ocean is governed by plate tectonics. Most of ...

, away from the

Marina Barrage Marina Barrage is a dam in southern Singapore built at the confluence of five rivers, across the Marina Channel between Marina East and Marina South. First conceptualised in 1987 by then Prime Minister of Singapore, prime minister Lee Kuan Yew t ...

. This had posed particular

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

challenges in the tunnel construction as large amounts of water were let out from the barrage from time to time. At its deepest point, the expressway lies about under the seabed. The long MCE is Singapore's most expensive expressway. On 28 April 2009, the

Land Transport Authority The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is a Statutory boards of the Singapore Government, statutory board under the Ministry of Transport (Singapore), Ministry of Transport of the Government of Singapore. History Incorporation The Land Transport Au ...

revealed that it has awarded about S$4.1 billion worth of contracts, much more than the initial estimate of $2.5 billion. The construction of the MCE also required undersea

dredging Dredging is the excavation of material from a water environment. Possible reasons for dredging include improving existing water features; reshaping land and water features to alter drainage, navigability, and commercial use; constructing d ...

. More than of land was

reclaimed Land reclamation, often known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new land from oceans, seas, riverbeds or lake beds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamation ...

to build the MCE. In contrast, the KPE, which is and has portions running under canals and rivers, cost only $1.74 billion. After the MCE was opened, the segment of the ECP between Central Boulevard and Benjamin Sheares Bridge was downgraded to become Sheares Avenue. The segment of the ECP between the AYE and Central Boulevard was permanently demolished. The first few days of operations was plagued by heavy traffic congestion due to drivers' unfamiliarity with the expressway as well as connections with other roads and expressways. There was reportedly heavier than usual traffic, compared to using the old route via ECP, on 29 December 2013, the first day the MCE opened. The situation was exacerbated on the next day with the Monday morning peak hour traffic. However, the majority of drivers are aware of the road changes. On 28 September 2014, with the road changes in

area, the Prince Edward Road exit was removed and was replaced by Straits Boulevard exit with the ERP gantry being relocated from Prince Edward Road to Straits Boulevard.

References

External links

{{coord missing, Singapore Expressways in Singapore Road tunnels in Singapore Kallang Downtown Core (Singapore) Marina East Marina South Straits View Articles containing video clips 2013 establishments in Singapore