Singapore HeritageFest 2023: A Brief History of Transport Networks in Singapore’s Urban Landscape

On the evening of Friday 12 May, as part of this year’s Singapore HeritageFest, I gave a talk on 200 years of Singapore transport and urban history.

Like previous talks, it drew on material from my book Jalan Singapura: 700 Years of Movement in Singapore. This time, however, I included findings from ongoing research for my next book.

I also introduced audience engagement, inviting them to answer two questions on their mobile phones:

1. What is one enduring memory you have of Singapore land transport, which no longer exists?

Some answers:

- Riding Bendy Buses in eastern Singapore

The Bendy Bus used to run in Tampines as part of Bus Service 67. Credit: Shankar S.

- The “ding dong” speed limit warning in the old Crown / Cedric taxis

- The train from Tanjong Pagar to Woodlands and beyond

Photo credit: EquatorialSky2.

- The first railway track! In one of the walking tours, I was brought to this underpass near the pinnacle hdb, I was told this was part of the first railway track. That was what led me to do my own reading up on it, and Eisen’s book shed useful insight in this area

- The old non-air-conditioned SBS buses with the sliding windows. If you didn’t close them on time or couldn’t close them when it rained, the rain will fall and collect on the tracks of the sliding windows and dribble onto the seat and onto the floor which I remember was the industrial aluminium flooring with the anti-slip pattern

2. What is your biggest wish for Singapore transport / urban development?

Some answers:

- Can eat (on public transport)

- To not further disrupt the nature for more roads and mrt networks

- 24 hour public transport

- magnetic levitation

- Bike path connecting each district

- More diverse rail transit modes like bringing back trams, use of monorails beyond Sentosa, etc…

- A wider variety of bus models please

- Abolishment of “Jaywalking” for more pedestrian friendly streets

- ...I would love to see a museum of transport in Singapore with life size vintage vehicles

I wish Tanjong Pagar Railway Station was converted into Singapore's very own museum of transport. Credit: Alicereneztay.

Hear, hear!

The Lorong Chuan Overhead Bridge

Some time back, I took a closer look at an unusual overhead bridge along Serangoon Road.

Here’s another one - the Lorong Chuan Overhead Bridge.

At least, that’s what it’s called on Google Maps and on Wikipedia.

However, its name is a misnomer, because it is actually over Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1; the junction with Lorong Chuan is a short walk away. Perhaps it was given that name because it is near Lorong Chuan MRT Station, so people associate the surrounding area with the place name “Lorong Chuan”. Actually, Lorong Chuan is a fairly long road, running from Braddell Road in the south to Serangoon Garden Way in the north.

I would have called it the Mei Hwan Overhead Bridge instead, because it connects the Mei Hwan Drive Playground in the south to Li Hwan Close in the north.

Base picture credit: Google Maps.

Anyway, this overhead bridge is unique because it looks like it belongs to another era.

The overhead bridge resembles an elongated, olive green shipping container, with rows of octagonal windows on both sides. One might mistake it for a temporary structure, or an overhead bridge under construction.

But, it is the finished product - and it has been there for decades.

I am unsure when exactly it was completed. I saw online articles claiming that it was built in 1975. However, I could not find a primary source, be it in the newspaper archives or the National Archives, backing up the claim.

Street directories were not much help either, as overhead bridges appeared in them only between 1984 and 1988.

Since overhead bridges serve roads, I turned to the history of the roads surrounding the overhead bridge. Below is the area in 1970. At the time, Lorong Chuan (blue) was the only major road in the area, running by a steep hill. To its north, on the hill, was Jalan Pacheli (blue), at the southern edge of Serangoon Garden Estate.

Base picture credit: Singapore Land Authority collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore.

Below is the area in 1976. By then, two private housing estates had been built on either side of Jalan Pacheli - Tai Hwan Garden to the west, and Golden Hill Estate to the east, served by roads such as Tai Hwan Heights and Li Hwan Close (all pink). Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 was still not on the map.

Base picture credit: Singapore Land Authority collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore.

This Straits Times Forum letter was published on 2 August 1977.

Credit: SPH Media Trust.

It starts with: “Ever since Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 was opened, the traffic at Lorong Chuan has increased tremendously…” This means Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 was completed sometime between 1976 and August 1977, to serve the up-and-coming Ang Mo Kio New Town.

As the road had to be completed first before the overhead bridge, my guess is that the Lorong Chuan Overhead Bridge was completed over Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 sometime after August 1977 - which makes it up to 45 years old.

As Lorong Chuan ran alongside a steep hill, a cutting was made into the hill to construct Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1. Hence, the Lorong Chuan Overhead Bridge stands out again because the road it crosses is below the level of the general terrain, while the overhead bridge is around the level of the general terrain.

This is clear when one is right next to the overhead bridge.

This is the approach from the south, the Mei Hwan Drive Playground.

Inside the overhead bridge.

The approach from the north, Li Hwan Close. There are private homes on either side.

As the overhead bridge is needed to connect two private housing estates, my hope is that it will remain untouched for a long time.

From Vernon Park to Sang Nila Utama Road

In October 2020, I wrote about plans for a Sang Nila Utama Road in Bidadari Estate, an up-and-coming housing estate at the junction of Upper Serangoon Road and Upper Aljunied Road.

Sang Nila Utama Road will evoke the spirit of ancient Singapura’s first king, and modern Singapore’s first Malay-medium secondary school - the trio share the same name.

Almost two years on, Sang Nila Utama Road is going to open to vehicular traffic. In turn, a nearby road named Vernon Park will be permanently closed on 25 September - as I had predicted in my October 2020 post.

Sang Nila Utama Road on the left, Vernon Park on the right.

Vernon Park connects Upper Aljunied Road and Mount Vernon Road. Both Vernon Park and Mount Vernon Road were laid down in the 1950s; their names were lent by Royal Navy Admiral Edward Vernon (1684-1757, below).

Vernon Park provides access to and serves the Gurkha Cantonment in Mount Vernon Camp, built to house the training and residential facilities of the Gurkha Contingent and their families.

Most of Vernon Park is actually inside the Gurkha Cantonment. On the street directory, the segment inside the camp is labelled Vernon Park too. However, I do not know whether this is the reality on the ground, as I have never entered the camp, and probably never will.

Below is the entrance to the Gurkha Cantonment from Vernon Park. This is where the public Vernon Park ends and the rest of Vernon Park inside the camp begins.

Credit: Google Maps.

Below is a 1979 street directory map of the area, showing the segments of Vernon Park open (blue) and closed (green) to public access today. Sang Nila Utama Secondary School was at the junction of Upper Aljunied Road and Vernon Park; it closed in 1988 and has been demolished.

Sang Nila Utama Secondary School in 1968. Credit: Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore.

The small segment of Vernon Park between Upper Aljunied Road and Mount Vernon Road is open to public access. This segment of road once served Mount Vernon Columbarium and Crematorium. The latter was Singapore’s first public crematorium, opened in 1962.

Mount Vernon Crematorium before it was torn down. Credit: TODAY.

Change came when Bidadari Cemetery was exhumed by 2006 and replaced by Bidadari Park, and then developed into Bidadari Estate.

Because of the estate, the western part of Upper Aljunied Road was realigned to the south. The original stretch is being redeveloped into a heritage walk.

Mount Vernon Crematorium closed in 2004, while the columbarium closed in 2018. Both have been torn down.

As the land around the public part of Vernon Park was freed up, it became possible to build a new, wider road to straighten the two curves that are parts of Vernon Park and Mount Vernon Road. This new, wider road will be Sang Nila Utama Road.

However, Sang Nila Utama Road will be built in two stages, perhaps to allow time for the Gurkha Cantonment to replace the current entrance at Vernon Park.

When Sang Nila Utama Road opens in a week’s time, it will be a meandering road with two U bends (below). The bends will eventually be straightened.

Below is a present-day aerial view of the area, showing the former and realigned Upper Aljunied Road, the segments of Vernon Park to be expunged and inside the Gurkha Cantonment, and the soon-to-be-opened Sang Nila Utama Road with the two U bends. The dark blue dotted line is the segment of Sang Nila Utama Road still under construction, to replace the two U bends in the future.

Base picture credit: Google Maps.

Below is the present junction of Vernon Park and the realigned Upper Aljunied Road. This spot was where Sang Nila Utama Secondary School once stood. This short stretch of road will be renamed Sang Nila Utama Road in a week.

Just up ahead is the future Sang Nila Utama Road, opening in a week.

The public road that is Vernon Park is left over from another era - a narrow carriageway with one lane in either direction, surrounded by trees on one side and the imposing fence of the Gurkha Cantonment on the other.

Vernon Park, a few steps from the future Sang Nila Utama Road, facing east.

Heading east towards the entrance of the Gurkha Cantonment.

The former site of Mount Vernon Columbarium, now the site of a future funeral parlour complex, to be completed in 2025.

Vernon Park facing west.

As Sang Nila Utama Road is meandering, it meets Vernon Park again.

The junction of Vernon Park (left) and Sang Nila Utama Road (right). The short stretch of Vernon Park between this junction and the entrance to the Gurkha Cantonment (off-photo to the right) will be renamed Sang Nila Utama Road in a week.

Sang Nila Utama Road will be one of Singapore’s longer street names, hence the length of its name plate.

Let’s see how the area looks like in a year!