Fort Canning Tunnel

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The FCT cuts under Fort Canning Park and an access road, Canning Rise.{{cite web|url=http://www.onemotoring.com.sg/publish/onemotoring/en/on_the_roads/road_projects/fort_canning.html#MainPar_0033|title=Construction of Fort Canning Tunnel & Realignment of Stamford Road|access-date=25 November 2006|work=ONE.MOTORING – Road Projects|publisher=Land Transport Authority|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061118035723/http://www.onemotoring.com.sg/publish/onemotoring/en/on_the_roads/road_projects/fort_canning.html#MainPar_0033#MainPar_0033|archive-date=18 November 2006|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}{{cite news|url=http://www.todayonline.com/articles/109861.asp |title=Cutting through the hill to Orchard |author=Lin Yanqin |access-date=25 November 2006 |date=30 March 2006 |work=TODAYonline |publisher=MediaCorp Press |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060530211938/http://www.todayonline.com/articles/109861.asp |archive-date=30 May 2006 |url-status=dead }} The entrance to the tunnel is roughly located on the land which housed the Old National Library Building,{{cite news|url=http://asia.news.yahoo.com/061122/5/singapore242658.html|title=$40m Fort Canning Tunnel to open in January|access-date=25 November 2006|date=22 November 2006|work=Yahoo! Asia News|publisher=Channel NewsAsia|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070306013424/http://asia.news.yahoo.com/061122/5/singapore242658.html|archive-date=6 March 2007|df=dmy-all}} at the junction of Stamford Road, Armenian Street and Queen Street. It brings traffic to Penang Road, providing direct access to the Orchard area. The stretch of Stamford Road between Queen Street and Bencoolen Street will also be permanently realigned in front of the National Museum of Singapore after the FCT's construction. The bedrock of the area was the so-called Fort Canning Boulder Bed, a stiff clay with huge embedded boulders.{{cite web|url=http://www.laabmayr.at/en/references/road_tunnels/01_25_Singapur_Fort_Canning_Tunnel.php|title=Singapore Fort Canning Tunnel|access-date=25 November 2006|year=2005|publisher=Consulting Engineers Laabmayr & Partner ZT GmbH|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070301171441/http://www.laabmayr.at/en/references/road_tunnels/01_25_Singapur_Fort_Canning_Tunnel.php|archive-date=1 March 2007|df=dmy-all}}

The tunnel is part of a 500 meter uni-directional three-lane new road. The FCT itself has a length of 350 meters. The FCT incorporates electrical cables to ensure continued mobile phone and radio coverage. Furthermore, ventilation jets were installed in case of traffic congestion or fire. The tunnel has no fire exits, due to its relatively short length. National Fire Protection Association standards require emergency escapes in tunnels every 300 meters. Four closed-circuit TV cameras are installed, two of which are inside the tunnel.{{cite news | url=https://www.smu.edu.sg/sites/default/files/smu/news_room/smu_in_the_news/2006/sources/TODAY_20061122_1.pdf | title=Faster trip from town | date=22 November 2006 | access-date=23 January 2007 | author=Leong Wee Keat | format=PDF}}

The FCT project was based on the Urban Redevelopment Authority's plans for the Museum Planning Area. Over 3,000 vehicles pass through Stamford Road every hour during peak periods. With the old traffic scheme, motorists stopped at two traffic lights at slow speeds, which made the area prone to congestion. In view of increased traffic from new developments in Marina Centre and Marina South to the Orchard shopping area, design plans for the tunnel were drawn up to allow motorists to bypass several traffic junctions.{{cite web|url=http://www.mof.gov.sg/budget_2004/exp_overview/exp_over_section3.1.html|title=Expenditure Overview: Ministry of Transport|access-date=25 November 2006|date=10 March 2004|work=Singapore Budget 2004|publisher=Ministry of Finance|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061002115633/http://www.mof.gov.sg/budget_2004/exp_overview/exp_over_section3.1.html|archive-date=2 October 2006|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}} The tunnel cuts journey times from five minutes to as fast as eighteen seconds.

The construction of the FCT would form a grid pattern, resulting in more efficient land use for the adjacent Singapore Management University (SMU) campus. The realignment of Stamford Road would also make the journey to Bras Basah and Little India smoother. By cutting through Fort Canning Hill, the historical and environmental significance of the area would still be preserved.

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Construction of the FCT started in October 2003 and the tunnel was opened on 16 January 2007, despite original plans for completion by the end of 2006. The cost of the project was originally set at S$25.95 million, but this increased to S$34 million and eventually up to S$40 million. The tunnel was opened on 16 January 2007 at 6 a.m. SST.{{cite news|url=http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/252688/1/.html|title=Changes to bus lane operating hours from April|author=Noor Mohd Aziz|access-date=23 January 2007|date=15 January 2007|publisher=Channel NewsAsia}}

To make way for the construction process, the old National Library was demolished and moved to its present location along Victoria Street. Sections of Canning Rise were closed twice during the course of construction. First, a stretch of road was closed for three months from 1 July 2004. After this, a different section was closed "to facilitate the reinstatement works" of the FCT from 25 April 2006 for a period of two months.{{cite web|url=http://app.lta.gov.sg/corp_press_content.asp?start=1553|title=Temporary Closure of Canning Rise|access-date=25 November 2006|date=21 April 2006|work=News Releases|publisher=Land Transport Authority|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071008010948/http://app.lta.gov.sg/corp_press_content.asp?start=1553|archive-date=8 October 2007|df=dmy-all}} However, this second closure was extended to 31 August.{{cite web|url=http://app.lta.gov.sg/corp_press_content.asp?start=1642|title=Re-Opening of Canning Rise|access-date=25 November 2006|date=23 August 2006|work=News Releases|publisher=Land Transport Authority|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071008010748/http://app.lta.gov.sg/corp_press_content.asp?start=1642|archive-date=8 October 2007|df=dmy-all}} In addition, a section of Stamford Road was temporarily redirected through the SMU campus near Prinsep Street during construction before its final realignment in front of the National Museum.

Their two bus stops were relocated. The diversion of Stamford Road had to relocate the bus stop nearer to the school (SMU), instead of near to National Museum of Singapore. This bus stop retains the CBD 1994-style bus stop pole look and the name was renamed from "National Library" to "Singapore History Museum", before changing it to "SMU". In 2002, the bus stop pole was expanded.

In order not to conflict fast-moving traffic, the bus stop was moved to another side (Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station). It also retains the CBD 1994-style bus stop pole look.

180 meters of the tunnel was constructed using an engineering technique known as the New Austrian Tunnelling method (NATM), which is similar to mining. The construction team used overlapping steel pipe roofs as support, with shotcrete lining, thick temporary invert, two layers of mesh, lattice girders and a watertight PVC membrane. The FCT is the first Singaporean road tunnel to use NATM, which has saved at least 22 trees in Fort Canning Park,{{cite web|url=http://www.lta.gov.sg/projects/index_proj_environ.htm|title=Environmental Initiatives – Preserving Our Trees|access-date=25 November 2006|date=17 March 2005|publisher=Land Transport Authority|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061216213206/http://www.lta.gov.sg/projects/index_proj_environ.htm|archive-date=16 December 2006|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}} including a 50-year-old tree. None of the designated 'Heritage Trees' were impacted by the FCT project. The remainder of the tunnel was constructed with the cheaper and more traditional cut-and-cover method.

A professional arboriculture company, Arborculture, was employed to assess the risk to flora in the area, as well as provide conservation and management strategies.{{cite web|url=http://www.arborsingapore.com/m_portfolio.htm|title=Arborculture Portfolio|access-date=25 November 2006|publisher=Arborculture|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061208205345/http://arborsingapore.com/m_portfolio.htm|archive-date=8 December 2006|df=dmy-all}}

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Category:Road tunnels in Singapore

Category:Roads in Singapore

Category:Museum Planning Area