Those living in the Kallang area can look forward to a new place to stroll at or exercise.

A stretch along the Kallang River just received a huge new facelift as part of a project by national water agency PUB.

Kallang River is Singapore's longest river.

The stretch of the river that the PUB's works were focused on had been around since the 1970s.

The makeover saw the softening of the physical features water body's surrounding areas.

The path beside the river and the canal itself was previously a concrete landscape.

After a four-year project that cost S$86 million, the revamped 1.8km stretch along the Kallang River from Bishan Road to Braddell Road was unveiled on Sept. 7, 2019.

Greener landscapes

The upgrades included more aesthetically appealing, greener features at the river, according to a press release by PUB.

Similar to the redevelopment of Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, Active, Beautiful and Clean (ABC) Waters features were incorporated into the works.

Kallang River now boasts a meandering stream in the middle of the canal and water cascades as well.

More lush greenery to beautify the area have also been planted.

Instead of bare concrete walls and slopes, visitors can admire the naturalised river bank and rain garden.

The rain gardens act as a filtration system where dense vegetation and the specially designed soil layers beneath help to filter out pollutants.

Water that exits into the waterway emerges cleaner than before.

The increased vegetation also supports a thriving ecosystem of wildlife, such as shorebirds and otters.

Increased flood protection

The Kallang River also underwent drainage improvement works to increase flood protection and "cater to potentially more frequent and intense rainfall events due to climate change", said PUB's director of catchment and waterways, Yeo Keng Soon.

To be able to hold more water, the canal was widened from a maximum width of 27 metres to 40 metres.

For an 800-metre section of the river, the depth was also deepened to almost 1 metre in depth.

During heavy rains, the naturalised streams and vegetation are intended to become floodplains.

With the upgrades, the Kallang River can now hold up to 80 percent more water.

More amenities for the community

Aside from the spruced up pavements and greenery, more community amenities will also be available for residents.

Kallang River now sports a new community deck, where visitors and residents can rest beneath the shade close to the water.

As part of the makeover, PUB has also worked together with the National Parks Board (NParks) to develop the Kallang Linear Park along the river.

The park will be located between Bishan Stadium and Blk 165 Bishan Street 13.

PUB will also be constructing a brand new cycling ramp over Kallang river, connecting cyclists from Bishan to Downtown Singapore.

The ramp will be completed by the end of 2019.

Very cool.

Here's a quick infographic of the new features.

For a closer look, you can check out PUB's video here.

Top photo from NParks and PUB