SINGAPORE \u2013 A new bus interchange, integrated with the upcoming Bedok South MRT station on the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL), will be built to support the future Bayshore precinct.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n According to tender documents published by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) on March 30, the new bus interchange will be situated within a mixed-use development envisaged as the neighbourhood centre for the precinct.<\/p>\n The development will feature retail amenities such as shops and restaurants, and will house a maximum of 1,280 housing units, said URA. It was not stated if these would be public or private homes.<\/p>\n Such larger and more complex mixed-use developments will typically be given up to seven years to be completed. It was previously reported that the Bayshore estate is expected to be fully developed by the mid-2030s.<\/p>\n Spanning at least 7,700 sq m, the size of nearly 1.5 football fields, the bus interchange is tentatively set to house seven bus bays, as well as some shops and restaurants, the tender documents showed.<\/p>\n The existing Upper East Coast Bus Terminal will relocate to this new interchange, said URA. <\/p>\n The terminal \u2013 which opened in 2001 \u2013 will have to be demolished within six months of the new bus interchange being completed and handed over. The site it sits on has been rezoned as a park, based on URA\u2019s Master Plan 2025.<\/p>\n Aside from shops and restaurants, the first storey of the new integrated transport hub will include sports and recreation facilities such as gymnasiums and fitness centres to create a vibrant street life, noted URA. <\/p>\n The new development will sit across a new stretch of Bayshore Drive from the Laguna Practice Driving Range.<\/p>\n The extension of Bayshore Drive will be constructed in two phases around the new interchange, with the second phase to be carried out when the existing Upper East Coast Bus Terminal is demolished. This is because part of the new road encroaches on the site where the existing terminal is located.<\/p>\n Planned as a car-lite neighbourhood, Bayshore will feature a cycling and pedestrian network and a transit priority corridor with bus-only lanes, footpaths, cycling paths and wider sheltered pavements.<\/p>\n Some 10,000 homes, including about 7,000 Housing Board flats<\/span><\/a>, will be built in Bayshore as an extension of Bedok town in the coming years.<\/p>\n The authority said the new mixed-use development will form the eastern end of Bayshore\u2019s main street, which will be a \u201cpedestrian-friendly spine\u201d lined with amenities that will connect TEL\u2019s Bayshore and Bedok South stations via Bayshore Drive.<\/p>\n It will be across the street from the proposed location of the new Safra Bayshore clubhouse, which will replace the existing Tampines clubhouse when it is ready in 2030<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n The estate features several upcoming Build-To-Order (BTO) projects, including Bayshore Palms and Bayshore Vista<\/span><\/a>,<\/span><\/a> which will be ready in 2029. The Bedok South TEL station, which will serve the area, is slated to start operations in the second half of 2026 after being delayed for two<\/span><\/a> <\/span><\/a>years<\/span><\/a>. <\/p>\n Residents told The Straits Times they are looking forward to having access to more amenities nearby.<\/p>\n Mr William Chan, who will be moving in to Bayshore Vista, said he can imagine the new development functioning similarly to Woodleigh Mall in Bidadari, and welcomed the additional convenience. Noting that it is too early to tell if the new bus interchange would improve his commute, the 30-year-old analyst said it will depend on what bus services will run on the bus-only corridor in the precinct. <\/p>\n Nevertheless, Mr Chan is heartened that there will be signalised junctions along the new Bayshore Drive, which he believes will help to relieve traffic in favour of public transport. <\/p>\n Ms Faazrena Hajis, who will move into her new Bedok South Blossoms flat in 2027, said the bus interchange could make things \u201ca lot more convenient\u201d for her as it would reduce travelling time and make daily commuting less of a hassle. <\/p>\n While the 29-year-old consultant will probably take the MRT to her workplace in the Central Business District, she welcomed the improved connectivity that the new interchange will bring. <\/p>\n She added that the new shops and restaurants will also make the area feel more complete, as she will not need to travel far to grab food or run errands, especially after work.<\/p>\n Mr Nicholas Mak, chief research officer at property search portal Mogul.sg, said the new integrated transport hub could become the mixed-use development with the highest number of housing units in Singapore if the developer proceeds to construct 1,280 units.<\/p>\n At present, Parktown Residence in Tampines holds the record for the most housing units in a mixed-use development, with 1,193 housing units. <\/p>\n Mr Mak said it makes economic sense to maximise the use of this land plot, as land next to an MRT station is valuable.<\/p>\n He added that it is a win-win situation for retailers and residents as the shops will have a captive population of shoppers and diners from the households living there, while the residents will have a mall at their doorstep. <\/p>\n Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth Dinesh Vasu Dash, who is an MP for East Coast GRC, said the new mixed-use development will transform Bedok South and provide transport, retail and recreational options for residents of Eastwood, Limau, Kew estate and Bedok South Horizon. <\/p>\n It will complete transport connectivity \u2013 together with the opening of the Bedok South and Sungei Bedok MRT stations later in 2026, added Mr Dinesh, who is also Minister of State for Manpower.<\/p>\n He noted that the new retail options will be a welcome relief to meet the daily needs of his residents.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n