Thomson Road, Singapore

Last updated
Thomson Road
Road
Thomson Road, Singapore.jpg
TE8 Upper Thomson MRT platforms 20210902 124840.jpg
Thomson Road, Singapore
Location in Singapore
Coordinates: 1°19′44″N103°50′26″E / 1.3289°N 103.8405°E / 1.3289; 103.8405 Coordinates: 1°19′44″N103°50′26″E / 1.3289°N 103.8405°E / 1.3289; 103.8405
Country Flag of Singapore.svg  Singapore
Planning Area Central Area, Ang Mo Kio, Yishun
Boundaries Keng Lee Road, Kampong Java Road, Cavenagh Road, Marymount Road, Sembawang Road

Thomson Road is a major trunk road linking Singapore's central business district with the northern suburban areas of the country. The road is one of the longest in Singapore, starting from Novena in the south towards MacRitchie Reservoir, before continuing northwards as Upper Thomson Road towards Yishun and Sembawang.

Contents

Etymology

The road was named after John Turnbull Thomson, who was the Government Surveyor and Chief Engineer of the Straits Settlements from 1841 to 1853. [1]

History

Thomson Road was constructed to connect the city centre to the airport and naval base at Seletar. The road was originally known as Thomson Road, after which the name was Seletar Road. This resulted in confusion as the naval and air bases, were then both known as Seletar.

In response to this, parts of the road were renamed in 1939. It was determined that the road would be called Thomson Road until the Yio Chu Kang junction, whereupon it was to become Upper Thomson Road until the Mandai Road junction. From the Mandai Road junction until the northern coast, it was named as Sembawang Road. The name Seletar Road was dropped. [2]

In 1959, the Singapore Rural Board (RB) renamed the stretch of road from the junction of Braddell and Thomson Roads to the junction of Mandai and Sembawang Roads, as Upper Thomson Road. [3]

Parts of Thomson Road formed the Thomson Road Grand Prix circuit, the original Singapore Grand Prix from 1961 to 1973. [4]

Geography

The present-day Thomson Road begins at a major road junction with Keng Lee Road, Kampong Java Road, Cavenagh Road and Norfolk Road, and leads northwards through the Novena residential area. It passes by Toa Payoh before continuing on as Upper Thomson Road at the junction with Braddell Road and Lornie Road.

It skims along the western edge of Bishan and Ang Mo Kio, which also passes through quite a few private residential estates, Thomson Plaza and The Singapore Island Country Club. Towards the end, after Springleaf Estate, the road crosses junction with Mandai Road, where it continues northwards via Sembawang Road. It is also the site of Saint Joseph Institution International, Ministry of Social and Family Development, Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore, and many more.

The North–South Corridor and Expressway, which is currently under construction goes through major parts of Thomson Road.

Public transport

Mass Rapid Transit (MRT)

Various train stations ply both Upper Thomson Road and Thomson Road, including Springleaf station and the namesake Upper Thomson station on the Thomson–East Coast Line (TEL), as well as Novena station on the North–South Line (NSL).

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ang Mo Kio</span> Planning Area and HDB Town in North-East Region ----, Singapore

Ang Mo Kio is a planning area and residential town situated in the North-East of Singapore. Located approximately 11 km (6.8 mi) north of the Downtown Core district, Ang Mo Kio is the 3rd most populated planning area in the North-East Region and ranks 8th in terms of population in the country overall. The planning area is located at the south-western corner of the North-East Region, bordered by the planning areas of Yishun to the north, Sengkang to the north-east, Serangoon to the east, Bishan to the south and the Central Water Catchment to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sembawang</span> Planning Area and HDB Town in North Region ----, Singapore

Sembawang is a planning area and residential town located in the North Region of Singapore. Sembawang planning area is bordered by Simpang to the east, Mandai to the south, Yishun to the southeast, Woodlands to the west and the Straits of Johor to the north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodlands, Singapore</span> Planning Area and Regional Centre in North Region, Singapore

Woodlands is a planning area and residential town located in the North of Singapore. As of 2019, the town has a population of 254,733. It is the densest planning area and is the regional centre for the North Region of the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kallang</span> Planning Area and HDB Town in Central Region ----, Singapore

Kallang is a planning area and residential zone located in the Central Region of Singapore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yishun</span> Planning Area and HDB Town in North Region, Singapore

Yishun, formerly known as Nee Soon, is a residential town located in the northeastern corner of the North Region of Singapore, bordering Simpang and Sembawang to the north, Mandai to the west, the Central Water Catchment to its southwest, Ang Mo Kio to its south, as well as Seletar and Sengkang to its east and southeast respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Serangoon</span> Planning Area and HDB Town in North-East Region ----, Singapore

Serangoon is a planning area and residential town located in the North-East Region of Singapore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomson, Singapore</span> Subzone of Bishan Planning Area in Singapore

Thomson is a relatively narrow area stretching from Novena in the Central Region of Singapore up north till Sembawang. The area is mainly located within the central catchment area where some of Singapore's reservoirs are located, including MacRitchie Reservoir, Upper Peirce Reservoir and Lower Peirce Reservoir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Expressway, Singapore</span> Expressway in Singapore

The Central Expressway (CTE) in Singapore is the major highway connecting the city centre of Singapore with the northern residential parts of the island, including Toa Payoh, Bishan and Ang Mo Kio and further onwards to the Seletar Expressway and the Tampines Expressway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jalan Kayu</span> Place in Singapore

Jalan Kayu is a road situated in Sengkang, Singapore. It is located in the northwestern part of Fernvale, near the Seletar–Sengkang boundary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seletar Expressway</span> Highway in Singapore

The Seletar Expressway is a highway in Singapore that traverses the northern end of the island and joins the Central Expressway (CTE) and the Tampines Expressway (TPE) in Seletar to the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) in Kranji.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toa Payoh MRT station</span> Mass rapid transit station in Singapore

Toa Payoh MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the North South line (NSL) in Toa Payoh, Singapore. Located in the town centre of Toa Payoh, it is integrated with the Toa Payoh Bus Interchange and the HDB Hub, headquarters of the Housing and Development Board. The station is underneath the intersection of three roads: Lorong 1 Toa Payoh, Lorong 2 Toa Payoh and Lorong 6 Toa Payoh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Region, Singapore</span> Region in Singapore

The North Region of Singapore is one of the five regions in the city-state. The region is the second largest region in terms of land area, and has a population of 582,330. Woodlands is the regional centre and also the most populous town with 255,130 residents living in the area. Comprising 13,500 hectares of land area, it includes eight planning areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Novena MRT station</span> Mass rapid transit station in Singapore

Novena MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the North South Line. Located along Thomson Road in Novena, Singapore, the station is located near landmarks such as Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital and United Square. Planned as part of Phase One of the MRT system, under the working name Thomson, the station's name was changed to Novena in November 1982, after the Novena Church. Construction of the station commenced in January 1984, and the station opened in December 1987.

Mandai Road is a major road located in Mandai, in the northern area of Singapore. The road starts from Woodlands Road and ends at the junction of Sembawang Road and Upper Thomson Road. The road was built in 1855 in a jungle and appeared in the Franklin and Jackson Plan of Singapore (1828) as a river indicated as "R. Mandi". It has been said the name of the road comes from a tree known as the "Mandai tree".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mandai</span> Planning Area in North Region ----, Singapore

Mandai is a planning area located in the North Region of Singapore, famously known for being the access point of the Singapore Zoo and Night Safari.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North–South Corridor, Singapore</span>

The North–South Corridor (NSC), originally conceptualised as the North-South Expressway, is an under-construction expressway that will be the 11th of Singapore's network of expressways when completed. The North South Corridor will serve increasing traffic along the north-south corridor that is currently served by the Central Expressway (CTE). The 21 kilometres (13 mi) expressway will cost about S$7–8 billion when fully completed in 2026 as North-South Corridor and will connect the East Coast Parkway (ECP) with the northern parts of Singapore.

Mandai Depot is an integrated train and bus depot located in Mandai, Singapore. The train depot serves as the maintenance and control centre of the Thomson-East Coast line while the bus depot is used for the Sembawang-Yishun Bus Package.

Chong Pang is a housing estate located in the subzone of Yishun West along the Sembawang–Yishun boundary in the town of Yishun, Singapore. It was named after the former Chong Pang village. It has precincts of Neighbourhood 1, part of Neighbourhood 7 and private residential areas along Sembawang Road.

References

Notes

  1. Davies, Donald (9 January 1955). "The Man Who Went To Dinner". The Straits Times. p. 12 via NewspaperSG.
  2. "New Names For Roads". The Straits Times. 14 February 1939. p. 14 via NewspaperSG.
  3. "New names for two Singapore roads". The Straits Times. 23 April 1959. p. 5 via NewspaperSG.
  4. "First Singapore grand prix". National Library Board, Singapore. 13 October 2014. Retrieved 19 March 2021.