Fort Canning Tunnel
Encyclopedia
Fort Canning Tunnel abbreviated as FCT, is a vehicular tunnel
in the Central Area
(Museum Planning Area
) of Singapore
.
Besides the utilization of relatively new engineering
techniques, special care was taken to minimize impact on the environment of the surrounding Fort Canning
during construction. The original contract for the FCT project was awarded to Sato Kogyo for S$
25.95 million.
The FCT was one of four Technical Tours organized by the Land Transport Authority
and Association of Consulting Engineers on September 29, 2006 during the World Roads Conference 2006 held in Singapore.
, 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 boulder
s.
(ERP) gantry to "close up the Orchard Road
ERP cordon". The FCT incorporates cable
s 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 the relatively short distance. National Fire Protection Association
standards require emergency escapes in tunnels every 300 m. 4 closed-circuit TV cameras are installed, 2 of which are inside the tunnel.
'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 2 traffic light
s 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. The tunnel cuts journey times from 5 minutes to as fast as 18 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.
.
. Sections of Canning Rise were closed twice during the course of construction. First, a stretch of road was closed for 3 months from July 1, 2004. After this, a different section was closed "to facilitate the reinstatement works" of the FCT from April 25, 2006 for a period of two months. However, this second closure was extended to August 31. 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.
(NATM), which is similar to mining
. The construction team used overlapping steel
pipe roofs as support, with shotcrete
lining, thick temporary invert, 2 layers of mesh
, lattice girder
s 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, 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.
Tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
in the Central Area
Central Area
In Singapore, the Central Area or Central Business District contains the core financial and commercial districts, including eleven urban planning areas, namely Downtown Core, Marina East, Marina South, Museum, Newton, Orchard, Outram, River Valley, Rochor, Singapore River and Straits View as...
(Museum Planning Area
Museum Planning Area
The Museum Planning Area is an urban planning area in the Central Region of Singapore. It is located in the area known as the Civic District. The area plays a "bridging role" between the Orchard Street area and the Downtown Core, which necessitates proper transport networks for vehicles,...
) of Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
.
Besides the utilization of relatively new engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
techniques, special care was taken to minimize impact on the environment of the surrounding Fort Canning
Fort Canning
Fort Canning is a small hill slightly more than 60 metres high in the southeast portion of the island city-state of Singapore, within the Central Area that forms Singapore's central business district...
during construction. The original contract for the FCT project was awarded to Sato Kogyo for S$
Singapore dollar
The Singapore dollar or Dollar is the official currency of Singapore. It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively S$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
25.95 million.
The FCT was one of four Technical Tours organized by the Land Transport Authority
Land Transport Authority
The Land Transport Authority is a statutory board under the Ministry of Transport of the Singapore Government.-History:...
and Association of Consulting Engineers on September 29, 2006 during the World Roads Conference 2006 held in Singapore.
Description
Location
The FCT cuts under Fort Canning Park and an access road, Canning Rise. The entrance to the tunnel is roughly located on the land housing the Old National Library BuildingOld National Library Building
The Old National Library Building was a historical building at Stamford Road in the Museum Planning Area of Singapore. Originally completed in 1960, it housed the National Library and was a national icon for many Singaporeans...
, at the junction of Stamford Road
Stamford Road
Stamford Road is a one-way road in Singapore within the planning areas of Downtown Core and Museum. The road continues after the traffic light junction of Nicoll Highway, Esplanade Drive and Raffles Avenue towards Orchard Road. It then ends at the junction of Fort Canning Road, Bencoolen Street...
, Armenian Street
Armenian Street
Armenian Street is a street in Central Singapore located in the Museum Planning Area. The street covers a short distance that starts from Coleman Street and ends at the junction of Stamford Road and Waterloo Street...
and Queen Street
Queen Street, Singapore
Queen Street is one of the oldest streets in Singapore and once had a very strong Eurasian presence. Beginning at Arab street, Queen Street forms major junctions with Ophir Road, Rochor Road, Middle Road and Bras Basah Road before ending at the junction of Stamford Road and Armenian Street.The area...
. It brings traffic to Penang Road
Penang Road
Penang Road is a road in George Town, Penang, Malaysia. It runs from near Farquhar St in the north and its southern end is near Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak at the junction with Macalister Rd. Upper Penang Road is a stretch of Penang Road popular among tourists for its bars....
, providing direct access to the Orchard area
Orchard Road
Orchard Road is a road in Singapore that is the retail and entertainment hub of the city-state. It is regularly frequented by the local population as well as being a major tourist attraction...
. The stretch of Stamford Road between Queen Street and Bencoolen Street
Bencoolen Street
Bencoolen Street is a street in Central, Singapore that starts at the junction of Rochor Road and Jalan Besar and ends at the junction of Fort Canning Road, Stamford Road and Orchard Road. The street houses several landmarks including Sim Lim Square, Bencoolen Mosque and Albert Complex...
will also be permanently realigned in front of the National Museum of Singapore
National Museum of Singapore
The National Museum of Singapore is a national museum in Singapore and the oldest museum in Singapore. Its history dates back to 1849 when it was started as a section of a library at Singapore Institution...
after the FCT's construction. The bedrock
Bedrock
In stratigraphy, bedrock is the native consolidated rock underlying the surface of a terrestrial planet, usually the Earth. Above the bedrock is usually an area of broken and weathered unconsolidated rock in the basal subsoil...
of the area was the so-called Fort Canning Boulder Bed, a stiff clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
with huge embedded boulder
Boulder
In geology, a boulder is a rock with grain size of usually no less than 256 mm diameter. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive....
s.
Features
The tunnel is part of a 500 m uni-directional three-lane new road. The FCT itself has a length of 350 m, and will include an Electronic Road PricingElectronic Road Pricing
The Electronic Road Pricing scheme is an electronic toll collection scheme adopted in Singapore to manage traffic by road pricing, and as a usage-based taxation mechanism to complement the purchase-based Certificate of Entitlement system...
(ERP) gantry to "close up the Orchard Road
Orchard Road
Orchard Road is a road in Singapore that is the retail and entertainment hub of the city-state. It is regularly frequented by the local population as well as being a major tourist attraction...
ERP cordon". The FCT incorporates cable
Cable
A cable is two or more wires running side by side and bonded, twisted or braided together to form a single assembly. In mechanics cables, otherwise known as wire ropes, are used for lifting, hauling and towing or conveying force through tension. In electrical engineering cables are used to carry...
s to ensure continued mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
and radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
coverage
Coverage (telecommunication)
In telecommunications, the coverage of a radio station is the geographic area where the station can communicate. Broadcasters and telecommunications companies frequently produce coverage maps to indicate to users the station's intended service area. Coverage depends on several factors, such as...
. Furthermore, ventilation jets
Ventilation (architecture)
Ventilating is the process of "changing" or replacing air in any space to provide high indoor air quality...
were installed in case of traffic congestion
Traffic congestion
Traffic congestion is a condition on road networks that occurs as use increases, and is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. The most common example is the physical use of roads by vehicles. When traffic demand is great enough that the interaction...
or fire
Ventilation (firefighting)
In firefighting, ventilation is an important part of structural firefighting tactics, and involves the expulsion of heat and smoke from fire building, permitting the firefighters more easily and safely find trapped individuals and attack the fire...
. The tunnel has no fire exits, due to the relatively short distance. National Fire Protection Association
National Fire Protection Association
The National Fire Protection Association is a United States trade association that creates and maintains private, copywrited, standards and codes for usage and adoption by local governments...
standards require emergency escapes in tunnels every 300 m. 4 closed-circuit TV cameras are installed, 2 of which are inside the tunnel.
Rationale
The FCT project was based on the Urban Redevelopment AuthorityUrban Redevelopment Authority
The Urban Redevelopment Authority is the national urban planning authority of Singapore, and a statutory board under the Ministry of National Development of the Singapore Government.-Mission:The authority was established on 1 April 1974, and is of especially critical importance to the city-state,...
's plans for the Museum Planning Area
Museum Planning Area
The Museum Planning Area is an urban planning area in the Central Region of Singapore. It is located in the area known as the Civic District. The area plays a "bridging role" between the Orchard Street area and the Downtown Core, which necessitates proper transport networks for vehicles,...
. Over 3,000 vehicles pass through Stamford Road every hour during peak periods. With the old traffic scheme, motorists stopped at 2 traffic light
Traffic light
Traffic lights, which may also be known as stoplights, traffic lamps, traffic signals, signal lights, robots or semaphore, are signalling devices positioned at road intersections, pedestrian crossings and other locations to control competing flows of traffic...
s at slow speeds, which made the area prone to congestion
Traffic congestion
Traffic congestion is a condition on road networks that occurs as use increases, and is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. The most common example is the physical use of roads by vehicles. When traffic demand is great enough that the interaction...
. In view of increased traffic from new developments in Marina Centre
Marina Centre
Marina Centre is a zone of reclaimed land within the Downtown Core in the southern part of Singapore. Together with the Marina South area, it encloses the sheltered Marina Bay....
and Marina South
Marina South
Marina South is a peninsula adjacent to the Central Business District in Singapore, and also the name of an urban planning area in the Central Area of Singapore's Central Region.-History:...
to the Orchard shopping area, design plans for the tunnel were drawn up to allow motorists to bypass several traffic junctions. The tunnel cuts journey times from 5 minutes to as fast as 18 seconds.
The construction of the FCT would form a grid pattern
Grid plan
The grid plan, grid street plan or gridiron plan is a type of city plan in which streets run at right angles to each other, forming a grid...
, resulting in more efficient land use
Land use
Land use is the human use of land. Land use involves the management and modification of natural environment or wilderness into built environment such as fields, pastures, and settlements. It has also been defined as "the arrangements, activities and inputs people undertake in a certain land cover...
for the adjacent Singapore Management University
Singapore Management University
The Singapore Management University was officially incorporated on January 12, 2000, and was Singapore's first private university funded by the government...
(SMU) campus. The realignment of Stamford Road would also make the journey to Bras Basah
Bras Basah Road
Bras Basah Road is a one-way road in Singapore in the planning areas of Museum and Downtown Core. The road starts at the junction of Orchard Road and Handy Road, at the ERP gantry towards the Central Business District, and ends at the junction of Nicoll Highway and Raffles Boulevard which then...
and Little India
Little India, Singapore
Little India is an ethnic neighbourhood found in Singapore that has Tamil cultural elements. Little India lies to east of the Singapore River—across from Chinatown, located west of the river—and north of Kampong Glam. Both areas are part of the urban planning area of Rochor...
smoother. By cutting through Fort Canning Hill, the historical and environmental significance of the area would still be preserved.
Construction
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 January 16, 2007 at 6 a.m. SSTSingapore Standard Time
Singapore Standard Time or Singapore Time based in Singapore uses a time zone eight hours in advance of UTC .- History :...
.
Facilitating construction
To make way for the construction process, the old National Library was demolished and moved to its present location along Victoria StreetVictoria Street, Singapore
Victoria Street [Tamil]: விக்டோரியா ஸ்திரீட் is a street located in the Central Area of Singapore. The street starts at Victoria Bridge at the end of Kallang Road, after the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority building, in the north and continues as Hill Street at its junction with Stamford Road...
. Sections of Canning Rise were closed twice during the course of construction. First, a stretch of road was closed for 3 months from July 1, 2004. After this, a different section was closed "to facilitate the reinstatement works" of the FCT from April 25, 2006 for a period of two months. However, this second closure was extended to August 31. 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.
Construction method
180 m of the tunnel was constructed using an engineering technique known as the New Austrian Tunnelling methodNew Austrian Tunnelling method
The New Austrian Tunnelling method was developed between 1957 and 1965 in Austria. It was given its name in Salzburg in 1962 to distinguish it from old Austrian tunnelling approach. The main contributors to the development of NATM were Ladislaus von Rabcewicz, Leopold Müller and Franz Pacher...
(NATM), which is similar to mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
. The construction team used overlapping steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
pipe roofs as support, with shotcrete
Shotcrete
Shotcrete is concrete conveyed through a hose and pneumatically projected at high velocity onto a surface, as a construction technique....
lining, thick temporary invert, 2 layers of mesh
Mesh
Mesh consists of semi-permeable barrier made of connected strands of metal, fiber, or other flexible/ductile material. Mesh is similar to web or net in that it has many attached or woven strands.-Types of mesh:...
, lattice girder
Girder
A girder is a support beam used in construction. Girders often have an I-beam cross section for strength, but may also have a box shape, Z shape or other forms. Girder is the term used to denote the main horizontal support of a structure which supports smaller beams...
s and a watertight PVC
PVC
Polyvinyl chloride is a plastic.PVC may also refer to:*Param Vir Chakra, India's highest military honor*Peripheral venous catheter, a small, flexible tube placed into a peripheral vein in order to administer medication or fluids...
membrane. The FCT is the first Singaporean road tunnel to use NATM, which has saved at least 22 trees in Fort Canning Park, 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
Arboriculture
Arboriculture is the cultivation, management, and study of individual trees, shrubs, vines, and other perennial woody plants. It is both a practice and a science....
company, Arborculture, was employed to assess the risk to flora
Flora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
in the area, as well as provide conservation
Conservation movement
The conservation movement, also known as nature conservation, is a political, environmental and a social movement that seeks to protect natural resources including animal, fungus and plant species as well as their habitat for the future....
and management strategies.