A new 250-metre Sang Nila Utama Road will be partially opened to traffic from Sunday, 25 Sep 2022 at 8:00am, with one lane in each direction. With the new road opening, the existing Vernon Park Road will be permanently closed to traffic. Sang Nila Utama Road is expected to open fully in the first half of 2024, with two lanes in each direction.

New Sang Nila Utama Road

2     To facilitate traffic towards Mount Vernon Road, the new Sang Nila Utama Road will link to Mount Vernon Lane and connect back to Mount Vernon Road. With the expunction of Vernon Park Road, motorists travelling from Upper Aljunied Road to Mount Vernon Road and vice versa are advised to use the route along the new Sang Nila Utama Road and Mount Vernon Lane.

3     Barricades, diversion signs and traffic controllers will be stationed to guide motorists. Motorists are advised to drive carefully and observe the information signs displayed. Please refer to the layout plan at Annex A for details on the road closure and diversion routes.

Commemorating Bidadari’s Heritage

4     The master plan for Bidadari was launched in August 2013. To preserve the rich heritage and memories of the estate, the former Upper Aljunied Road has been pedestrianised to become part of the new Heritage Walk. Working with the National Parks Board, the 700-metre Heritage Walk is lined with a canopy of mature trees and will have a series of storyboards to recount the history and stories of Bidadari’s rich heritage, including prominent personalities of the past.

Lined with lush greenery, the 700m Bidadari Heritage Walk will recount the history
and stories of Bidadari’s rich past. (Image credit: Housing & Development Board)

5     In 2019, the Ministry of National Development and the Street and Building Names Board decided to name a new road in Bidadari estate as Sang Nila Utama Road, in tribute to the contributions of Sang Nila Utama. His arrival on our shores in 1299 marked the beginning of Singapore. Fittingly, the new Sang Nila Utama Road is located right next to the site of the former Sang Nila Utama Secondary School, one of the first two Malay-medium secondary schools in Singapore, which played an important role in developing Malay education in Singapore. Additionally, a section of the Heritage Walk will also be named Sang Nila Utama Boulevard.

6     Other heritage elements in Bidadari include the Alkaff Lake, which seeks to recreate the memories of the former Alkaff Lake Gardens built by the well-known Alkaff family, as well as a memorial garden to commemorate the heritage of the former Bidadari Cemetery and prominent pioneers who were buried there.

Weaving in elements of heritage within Bidadari - the Heritage Walk, Sang Nila Utama Boulevard and Road, Alkaff Lake and a memorial garden will form part of the estate when completed. (Image credit: Housing & Development Board)

7     With the plans for Bidadari being progressively realised, residents can look forward to living in an estate with a rich heritage and strong sense of identity.