Singapore prepares Roads for Formula 1 Grand Prix Street Circuit

The process to get the street circuit ready for the inaugural Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix in 2008 has been set in motion. Singapore's Land Transport Authority (LTA) is slated to begin road works sometime next month, while the design of the Paddock building is also being finalised.

This milestone comes after three months of intense planning by various government agencies with the race promoter, Singapore GP, since Singapore announced it will host the world’s third most-watched sporting event from next year. A fortnight ago, on 27 July 2007, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA, or the World Motor Sports Council) set the date of the first Singapore Grand Prix as 28 September 2008.

The 5.05km long street circuit offers a number of overtaking opportunities, fast turns and technically challenging sections for F1 race drivers, which, in turn, will present viewers with compelling race action to keep them on the edge of their seats. More than 70% of the street circuit is made up of Singapore’s existing road network. The Paddock building will house the control tower, garages for the teams, hospitality lounges, Press Room and other facilities.

Mr Lim Neo Chian, Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive of the Singapore Tourism Board, who chairs the event’s working committee, said, “I am pleased that the planning for the F1 Singapore Grand Prix is progressing well. We have refined the proposed street circuit and submitted the plans to the FIA, the international governing body for motorsports, for its assessment and endorsement. Concurrently, we are combing through the details for the rest of the infrastructure works, such as finalising the design concept and construction schedule of the Paddock building. We are confident that both the circuit and Paddock building will be officially endorsed very soon.”

The project team needs to work within a tight timeframe of fewer than 16 months to put in place the necessary infrastructure for the 2008 race. A high level of coordination between Government agencies and related stakeholders is required to ensure that the necessary infrastructure can be delivered in time.

Mr Colin Syn, deputy chairman of Singapore GP, said that while the track layout, “hasn’t changed dramatically” from what was originally  released, over the past two months the circuit has developed from a couple of lines sketched on a map into something that resembles a proper racetrack, with all the attendant infrastructure marked in.

“It’s going to be very exciting to see all this take shape. The sheer scale of the task required is simply staggering, but the support that we’ve received from all the government agencies involved has been tremendous,” he added.

Proposed road works

The following works, which will be managed by LTA, are expected to commence in September 2007, once the race route is confirmed by FIA:

- Construction of a 1.2 km road that will form the eastern section of the circuit
- A new vehicular/pedestrian underpass and service road leading to the Pit Building
- Widening of a stretch of the promenade between the existing outdoor seating gallery and floating platform in Marina Bay
- Widening a section of Raffles Boulevard from Nicoll Highway to Temasek Avenue
- Modifications to existing road kerbs and traffic islands.

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