Jointly issued by Land Transport Authority, Urban Redevelopment Authority and National Parks Board

1. To alleviate the congestion currently experienced along Lornie Road and the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) during peak hours and to cater to expected growth in future traffic demand, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will construct a new dual four-lane road in Bukit Brown. Construction of the new road is expected to begin in early 2013 and will be completed by 2016.

2. This new road will serve as the new link connecting motorists travelling between Thomson Road, Adam Road and PIE, and is part of the road network that will support future developments in Bukit Brown.

New road to meet current and future traffic needs

3. Lornie Road functions as a strategic road link in the Outer Ring Road System allowing motorists travelling between the east and the west of the island to bypass the city. Lornie Road also serves as an essential road connection for traffic between PIE and residential estates in the central and northern parts of the island, such as Ang Mo Kio, Bishan and Thomson.

4. Today, with increased traffic, Lornie Road experiences heavier traffic than before, especially during the morning and evening peak hours. Slow traffic conditions are also observed on the slip roads connecting PIE and Lornie Road. With the future developments in the central and northern parts of the island, traffic demand along Lornie Road is expected to increase between 20% and 30% by 2020 and well beyond what the current Lornie Road will be able to handle.

New road alignment will serve future developments

5. In line with long term plans, Bukit Brown area will be developed for housing in the future. The new road will also connect Bukit Brown with the rest of the road network.

Careful planning to minimise trade-offs

6. Various agencies, including LTA, Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and National Parks Board (NParks) have worked closely to plan an alignment that takes into consideration the more immediate transport needs, as well as the longer term development plans for the area. Care was also taken to avoid adversely affecting the nature reserves near MacRitchie Reservoir, and to avoid any private land acquisition for this road project.

More park connectors

7. Upon completion of this new road, the existing Lornie Road will be converted to a dual two-lane road, and the space freed up will be used for future park connectors alongside the existing nature reserve. This will enhance the overall experience for visitors to the MacRitchie Reservoir.

Impact on Bukit Brown cemetery

8. The new dual four-lane road will connect the existing Thomson Road near Caldecott Hill and will cut through parts of the existing Bukit Brown Cemetery before joining Adam Road near the slip roads leading onto PIE. Please refer to Annex A for an indicative alignment of the new road.

9. It is estimated that the new road will affect about 5% of the more than 100,000 graves currently sited in the Bukit Brown Cemetery. LTA will conduct a grave identification exercise to confirm the actual number of graves affected. LTA will be calling a tender soon to identify the graves that will be affected by the new road.

10. After the affected graves are identified, LTA will publish details of the affected graves and invite the next-of-kin of the deceased buried in the affected graves to register their claims of their ancestors’ remains. LTA will work closely with the next-of-kin to undertake the exhumation of the affected graves, which is expected to take place in fourth quarter 2012. Members of the public can contact Mr Yeoh Wei Hean (DID: 6396 2385; email: wei_hean_yeoh@lta.gov.sg) or Ms Charlene Tay (DID: 6396 1810; email: charlene_tay@lta.gov.sg), if they have any queries on the grave identification.

Preservation of Bukit Brown heritage

11. To preserve the heritage of Bukit Brown Cemetery, URA and LTA will work with the Singapore Heritage Society and other stakeholders to identify and document key heritage elements of the cemetery.