Wednesday, January 19, 2011

North South Expressway

The Government has announced the plan to build the North South Expressway. It will cost $7 to $8 billion and will be ready by 2020.

I believe that an elevated expressway will be less costly and take a shorter time to build .Many cities have adopted the elevated rather than the underground approach. Are we spending too much money, when there is a cheaper option?

12 years ago, I wrote to the Minister of Transport to propose a second level for the Central Expressway. He replied that it would be difficult to build the access roads to the elevated expressway. I may not be a road engineer, but I believe that it can be done. It would be easier, quicker, less costly and more practical to have a second level CTE.

Unfortunately, this type of decisions are taken by the policy makers and the  planners, without much discussion with the people who have to pay for it (through our taxes and cost of living) and to use it daily.

Tan Kin Lian