New Sang Nila Utama Road, named after legendary Malay prince, to open in Bidadari area on Sep 25
Sang Nila Utama Road will replace the existing Vernon Park Road, which will be permanently closed to traffic.
A 700m Bidadari Heritage Walk will recount the history and stories of Bidadari’s past. (Image: Housing and Development Board)
SINGAPORE: A new two-lane road replacing the existing Vernon Park Road in the Bidadari estate will be partially opened to traffic from Sep 25.
The new 250m stretch, called Sang Nila Utama Road after the Malay prince associated with Singapore's history before 1819, will initially have one lane in each direction.
It will have two lanes in each direction when it is fully opened in the first half of 2024, according to a Housing and Development Board (HDB) press release on Friday (Aug 19).
Minister for National Development Desmond Lee said in a Facebook post on Friday that motorists can use the new road to access Mount Vernon Road from Upper Aljunied Road.
Sang Nila Utama Road will link to Mount Vernon Lane and connect back to Mount Vernon Road, and motorists will have barricades, diversion signs and traffic controllers to guide them.Â
"Motorists are advised to drive carefully and observe the information signs displayed," HDB added in its statement.
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Mr Lee noted that the road's name was announced in 2019, after taking into account the significance of Sang Nila Utama, the Palembang prince who arrived on Singapore's shores in 1299 to mark the beginning of the country.Â
Sang Nila Utama Road is located next to the site of the former Sang Nila Utama Secondary School, one of the first two Malay-medium secondary schools which played an important role in developing Malay education in Singapore, said HDB.
Mr Lee pointed out that several heritage elements were included when developing the Bidadari area, for which a master plan was launched in August 2013.
"One of these is a new 700m heritage walk that cuts through the estate, which will have a series of storyboards to recount the history and stories of Bidadari, including prominent personalities of the past," he said.
A section of the heritage walk will also be named Sang Nila Utama Boulevard.
"Other heritage elements include the Alkaff Lake, inspired by the memories of the former Alkaff Lake Gardens built by the well-known Alkaff family in 1929, and a memorial garden to commemorate the heritage of the Bidadari Cemetery," Mr Lee wrote in his post.
"These are all part of the Bidadari Park which will be completed in the second half of 2023 ... With the plans for Bidadari being progressively realised, residents can look forward to exploring the heritage of the estate."
