The National Parks Board (NParks) will be curating more island-wide recreational routes in the coming years.
This is one of the new initiatives to transform Singapore into a City in Nature, Minister for National Development Desmond Lee said on Mar. 4 during COS Debates.
Four more recreational routes, including the longest cross-island trail to date
As part of the expansion of the Park Connector Network in Singapore, NParks will be creating four more recreational routes.
Two Coast-to-Coast (C2C) trails will run from east to west.
They include a 25km C2C Northern Trail from Khatib Bongsu to Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, as well as a 62km C2C Southern Trail from Changi Beach to Tuas, via the Botanic Gardens.
The first phase of C2C Northern Trail will be completed in 2026 and the entire trail will complete in 2030.
The C2C Southern Trail will be the longest cross-island trail to date and the first phase will be completed in 2025, NParks said.
NParks will also be adding two new corridors running from north to south.
They are the 34km Central Corridor from Woodlands to the city, and the 18km Eastern Corridor from Pasir Ris to East Coast Park via Bedok Reservoir.
The Central Corridor is expected to be completed by 2030, while the Eastern Corridor will be connected by the last quarter of this year.
The four upcoming trails and corridors will complement the existing routes.
When fully completed, they will enable Singaporeans to explore nature throughout the island, across 360km of curated trails.
Overall, Singaporeans can look forward to 500km of park connectors by 2030.
Besides providing recreational opportunities, these island-wide routes also enhance the ecological connectivity between natural habitats and strengthen Singapore's ecological resilience.
Top image via NParks.