East Coast Road
East Coast Road, beginning at the junction of Tanjong Katong Road and Mountbatten Road, is a thoroughfare along the east. It extends as Upper East Coast Road after it forms a junction with Siglap Road and continues before ending sharply at a bend into Bedok Road. Hugging the eastern coast of Singapore, the road had been designated as early as 1828 in Lt. Jackson’s Town Plan but was built only in 1902. Since then, it has served as the main vein to the culturally rich and diverse Katong area.
History
Lt. Philip Jackson’s 1828 Singapore Town Plan, following Raffles’ recommendations and vision of 1823, designated roads on either end of the island as East Coast Road and West Coast Road. Both the roads, though not constructed until much later, were thus one of Singapore’s earliest roads delineated. The only approach, to the areas around Joo Chiat to Geylang, was initially through Geylang Road and Tanjong Katong Road. But in 1902, a laterite road was constructed, connecting Katong to Bedok. This was to become East Coast Road, running along the coast until the land reclamation of the 1960s. The extensions to Tanjong Katong Road in the west began in 1906. Along with this highway into rural Singapore came new modes of transportation such as the mosquito buses and the motor trolleys and trams, transporting business and transforming life along the coast. Though predominantly a Peranakan and Eurasian enclave, East Coast Road houses cultural institutions of the other major races in Singapore. Having the best seafront views, East Coast Road was a place sought after by the rich to build seaside bungalows. Many by-lanes or offshoots from East Coast Road continued to be named “East Coast Road” as well. They are now lined with numerous flats and apartments that currently dominate the landscape of the area. In the late 1990s, Upper East Coast Road was extended to join the PIE.
Excerpt from Infopedia
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