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SINGAPORE : The Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) is finally ready and will be fully opened to traffic this Saturday at 10 am.
Part of the tunnel was opened under the first phase about a year ago.
More than 14,000 light fittings ensure that the transition from the bright sunlight into the KPE tunnel is easy on the eye - while ensuring the interior is well lit.
But once inside, motorists will have to get used to the speed limit of 70 kilometres per hour, much lower than the Central Expressway tunnel's speed limit of 80 kilometres per hour.
Marcus Karakashian, director, Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway, Land Transport Authority, said: "(The) KPE is not a straight tunnel...the tunnel has some long sweeping bends. There are line of sight issues - high speeds mean long braking distances. If there is an incident around the corner, and you start braking, you are part of the incident."
Cameras which operate round the clock will help enforce the speed limit.
But if speeds go down, 16 Electronic Road Pricing gantries erected throughout the KPE could be switched on, at some point.
Within the tunnel, there is a whole host of features to ensure this longest road tunnel in Southeast Asia - 9 kilometres in all - stays safe.
Different types of cameras can spot stationary vehicles and people, as well as zoom in on incidents.
All these measures have helped give KPE the green light to open after two years of assessment by an independent team.
But with the recent incident of a photographer fainting in the tunnel during a community event, what is the quality of air inside?
The tunnel has powerful nozzles, which blow in fresh air in the event that carbon monoxide fumes and temperatures build up in the tunnel. They are also far more useful in the event of an incident like a fire, when there is a need to blow in fresh air for people who may be stuck inside the tunnel. And just further down the tunnel, bad air is blown out of the exits to ventilation buildings which are at road surface level.
In addition, a team of nine Traffic Marshalls is deployed round the clock to arrive at an accident spot within eight minutes to control traffic problems. - CNA/ms
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