By Alvina Soh / Evelyn Choo, Channel NewsAsia, 2 Jan 2012
Residents living in the southern part of Singapore can enjoy a new leisure playground with the official opening of the Labrador Nature & Coastal Walk.
The 2.1km Walk comprises three distinct segments - Alexandra Garden Trail, Berlayer Creek and Bukit Chermin Boardwalk.
The Labrador Nature & Coastal Walk was conceptualised and developed by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and will be managed by the National Parks Board.
Visitors can now enter charming mangrove and coastal areas, which were previously not accessible to pedestrians.
The Walk seamlessly connects the Southern Ridges to the Southern Waterfront.
It runs along Alexandra Road from Depot Road to Telok Blangah Road, through the Berlayer Creek mangrove area and skirts the foothills of Bukit Chermin.
A relatively small area of 5.6 hectares, Berlayer Creek is home to a myriad of wildlife species. Some 60 bird species, 19 species of fish and 14 true mangrove plant species have been recorded.
Extra care was taken to retain the natural environment of the Labrador Nature & Coastal Walk. For example, some boardwalks are elevated to ensure animals can still move from one end to the other.
Extra care was taken to retain the natural environment of the Labrador Nature & Coastal Walk. For example, some boardwalks are elevated to ensure animals can still move from one end to the other.
As the movements usually happen at night, there are no lamp posts along certain stretches of the Walk.
Lee Howe Ming, URA's executive architect of the Conservation & Urban Design Group, said: "We do not have lamp posts along here because that would be too much in this environment. So all the lights are hidden below the handrails in terms of subtle LED lights.
"At night, we can still maintain the nocturnal environment of this area and at the same time, the public can still come in for a kind of moonlit stroll in this mangrove setting."
Footpaths and cycle paths also meander around mature rain trees, seamlessly weaving flora and fauna into the urban landscape.
Information panels placed at various intervals along the Walk allow visitors to learn about nearby attractions and rich biodiversity in the area.
Construction of the S$10 million Walk began in 2010 and was completed at the end of last year.
The Walk was officially opened by Minister for Trade and Industry Mr Lim Hng Kiang on Monday morning.
Mr Lim said the extension will provide many new and healthy ways for visitors and residents of Telok Blangah to spend their weekends and holidays.
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