There are 2 new road systems that have been opened on our shores and this is a glimpse at where these roads can take you...

The spanking new 1.9km long dual-two lane viaduct will allow motorists a direct connection from Bartley Road East to Bartley Road, and will fly-over the usually congested trio; Airport Road, Hougang Avenue 3 and Upper Paya Lebar Road.

With the completion of the Bartley Road extension project, road users from Tampines and Bedok will have a smoother, uninterrupted route to Central Singapore via Bartley Road and Braddell Road. This new connection from Central Singapore to the East will ease the headache of traveling on the PIE as it opens a new alternative route to travel to the East. Motorists heading towards the Kaki Bukit Industrial Estate will also welcome the new route as it is an additional road connection to that area. As part of the opening, a new road, Bartley Road East, which runs parallel to the viaduct, will also be opened to traffic.

As the Marina Bay Singapore Integrated Resort is set to open soon, a new bridge will span across Marina Bay and the new Bayfront Ave which connects Temasek Ave to Central Boulevard and Marina Boulevard. This will serve as another route to motorists entering the CBD. Once the bridge is completed at the end of the first quarter of 2010, there will be a dreaded ERP gantry which will be installed along Bayfront Ave leading towards Temasek Boulevard to make sure we lose more money around the Bugis-Marina Centre ERP zone.

The new roads are set to serve the Marina Bay Financial Centre and should be completed by the third quarter of this year, the Shenton Way-Chinatown ERP zone will also be tweaked to include new developments in the Marina Bay area. The gantry along Central Boulevard will be abolished and replaced by a new gantry at Marina Way. There's more bad news for all us ERP haters...Two other gantries will be installed, one on the other side of Bayfront Avenue and one at Marina Station Road leading into Central Boulevard to close off the Shenton Way-Chinatown zone. ERP gantries are popping up everywhere and I wonder whether its implementation is serving any useful purpose other than to increase our government's income. ERP gantries along the CTE and even in the City don't really help to ease congestion, its a possible case of Animal Farm here where the once noble purpose of reducing traffic congestion becomes a money spinner.

When do these gantries start to suck away our money? Only the LTA will know.. and they will announce the operating hours and rates once the Marina Bridge is closer to completion.