We wrote about the groundbreaking event for this high covered linkway in 2024. Now, here we are at last at its opening ceremony.

 

It’s 2am on a quiet Saturday. Mayor Denise Phua and Adviser Alvin Tan are standing near Pek Kio Market, watching. Both had come down for a milestone event. 

 

The roof of the linkway across the four-lane Owen Road, connecting Blocks 52 and 44, is about to be hoisted onto its supporting beams. We had covered the groundbreaking event for this covered linkway in 2024. Now this marks the culmination of one year of coordination, and hard work to get it built. 

 

Launching the walkway, with great cheer 

 

On the surface, it might seem like an ordinary linkway, but beneath it lay a lot of effort.

 

The regulatory bridges to cross

 

If you haven’t read our previous write-up on this project, here’s a more in-depth recap.

 

In the project’s early days, when it was first mooted by Mayor Denise and Adviser Alvin, there were regulatory hurdles to clear. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) had guidelines in place for the covered walkways that they could approve, and set aside a budget for. 

 

Usually, LTA would approve a walkway across two to three lanes, but the one that was being proposed was across four lanes making this linkway longer than usual. 

 

But both Mayor Denise and Advisor Alvin persevered to get the linkway approved. They showed that there were going to be many residents who would benefit from such a walkway.

Furthermore, because of the nearby Build to Order (BTO) flats that were being constructed, there would be even more who would be served. 

 

LTA did an initial pedestrian count to see the feasibility of the covered walkway. Eventually, after great thought, they approved it, to great cheer. 

 

Friendly streets, happy streets 

 

The covered walkway would also be part of the wider scheme around ‘Friendly Streets’, which LTA was piloting across 10 sites to make streets more pedestrian friendly. 

 

The seemingly simple walkway has some thoughtful features. For example, if you have tried pushing your stroller on a concrete path, its bumps and ridges might make it a challenge. 

 

This walkway is barrier-free and smoother, making the area more walkable for everyone – especially parents and the elderly.

 

 

To make roads safer, sections were also coloured green to mandate speeds of 40km per hour. 

 

Two town councils

 

Beyond the challenge of navigating regulations, the project also required greater coordination as it straddled the jurisdictions of two different town councils.

 

One side of the road was under Jalan Besar Town Council, whilst the other was under Tanjong Pagar Town Council. 

 

Over the year, the property managers of both town councils became buddies over WhatsApp, as they had to constantly message each other about details such as budgets, closing up certain areas to allow for construction, and ensuring that there were proper notices about the construction. 

 

None of this was easy. 

 

And eventually when the walkway was up, there was a big cheer from everyone involved, and most importantly, the residents. 

 

Residents could finally have a sheltered walkway from Farrer Park MRT Exit B, all the way to their blocks. They no longer needed an umbrella for the sun or the rain.

 

Celebrating with residents 

 

Finally, in the morning of the 29th of March, Mayor Denise and Adviser Alvin went around the newly upgraded Pek Kio Market, telling residents of the new covered walkway. 

 

Residents were happy with the upgrades to their neighbourhood, with one saying, “With the recent wind and rain and the sudden hot weather in between, it’s been more difficult to plan journeys back. With the walkway now, I can have a gentle stroll back without having to worry about whether I’ve brought an umbrella, or waiting in the malls for the rain to clear.”

 

 

“In the past, we were sometimes worried about our kids rushing ahead of us because of the cars. But now that we have the mandated speed limits, we feel safer.” Laughing, he said, “And now we can get to the hawker centre faster to eat our food!” 

 

Celebrating our hawkers

 

Mayor Denise and Adviser Alvin also made sure that the hawkers were not left out in the celebrations.

 

They had specially designed new aprons for them, and gifted them to the hawkers in Pek Kio Market. These aprons were not just to keep out the grease from cooking, but to celebrate the heritage of Pek Kio Market.

 

Pek Kio Market had long been famous for its food, and remembering that culinary skill came with time, and many hours spent in the heat of the kitchen, was also an important part of keeping the old, whilst reinventing the new. 

 

 

There was even a special addition from Ketojiak, a hawker with a fresh concept of keto ice cream. Galvin Sng, the Chief Churning Officer of Ketojiak, gifted residents there with a special blend of ‘MOCA’, to celebrate Moulmein-Cairnhill. 

 

 

Adviser Alvin Tan with Galvin Sng, the Chief Churning Officer of Ketojiak (far right)

 

At the end of the event, both Mayor Denise and Adviser Alvin stood in front of the market, announcing the upgrades to the estates, and how this would impact the residents’ lives. 

 

 

Celebrating our construction workers 

 

They also brought together the construction workers from OKP, the contractors for the walkway. 

 

They stood together to thank them for the hard work over the year, braving the wind, rain, and hot sun, to build the walkway. To show their gratitude, they prepared bags filled with goodies for them to take home to enjoy. 

 

 

What had started as a simple question “how can we make streets more friendly for all?”, had now culminated in a covered walkway that led people from end to end with no umbrella needed. 

 

 

So the next time you’re exiting from Farrer Park MRT, maybe take Exit B. You might just be surprised at what a gentle, calm, and relaxing walk it can be.