As 9 August draws close, we can expect to hear the sound of our fighter jets zooming around and catch glimpses of fireworks in the night sky.
What we should also expect is some traffic disruption, given the need to accommodate the roads around the Padang.
Here is what you need to know about bus service diversions and road closures in preparation for this year’s National Day Parade rehearsals.
Bus Services Will Be Affected by NDP Rehearsals in June
The National Day Parade combined rehearsals for 2023 will be held on three consecutive Saturdays starting from this weekend.
So mark your calendars for 10 June 2023, 17 June 2023 and 24 June 2023, as you can expect disruptions to the usual bus schedules there.
SBS Transit released an official press statement saying that 27 SBS Transit bus services will be affected by road closures for the combined rehearsals for the National Day Parade held at the Padang this year.
Due to the change in bus schedules, these buses will travel on alternative routes and skip bus stops along Nicoll Highway, Marina Bay and those in the vicinity of the Civic District.
To avoid disruptions to your trip, SBS Transit advises that commuters plan their journeys and take the MRT if they need to get to the affected areas.
The 27 bus services which may skip certain stops are as follows:
Here is the Facebook post from SBS Transit detailing the affected buses and their schedules.
SMRT Bus Diversions
Some buses operated by SMRT will also be diverted. SMRT announced via a Facebook post that a total of five buses were affected.
These are buses 61, 75, 960, 960e, and 961 and the routes affected are near the Padang.
In particular, Beach Road, Bras Basah Road, Esplanade Drive, Fullerton Road, North Bridge Road, Parliament Place, Raffles Avenue, Raffles Boulevard and Robinson Road are affected.
The dates to note remain as 10 June 2023, 17 June 2023 and 24 June 2023.
Here is a poster from SMRT setting out the bus stops that will be skipped due to the rehearsals.
The TransitLink hotline is 1800-225-5663 for those who want more information on integrated public transport services.
Apart from the public transport bus services being affected, private car owners can also expect some disruption as several roads and lanes will be closed during the same three Saturdays in June.
The following roads and lanes will be closed from 2 am on 10, 17 and 24 June to 2 am on 11, 18 and 25 June:
- Carriageway of Fullerton Road in the direction of Esplanade Drive (between lamp post 5 and Esplanade Drive)
- Carriageway of Esplanade Drive in the direction of Nicoll Highway (between Fullerton Road and Nicoll Highway)
- Carriageway of Nicoll Highway in the direction of Guillemard Road (between Stamford Road and Bras Basah Road)
- Fullerton Road (between lamp post 18F and Esplanade Drive)
- Connaught Drive
- St Andrew’s Road
- Parliament Place (between Supreme Court Lane and St Andrew’s Road)
- Coleman Street (between St Andrew’s Road and Supreme Court Lane)
- Beach Road (between Stamford Road and Bras Basah Road)
- Slip road leading from Stamford Road into Beach Road
- Two right lanes of Raffles Avenue (between lamp post 26F and Nicoll Highway)
- Two left lanes of the carriageway of Crawford Street in the direction of Republic Avenue (between lamp post 23 and Republic Avenue)
- The extreme right lane of the carriageway of Beach Road in the direction of Republic Avenue (between lamp post 90 and Republic Avenue)
- Republic Avenue (between Crawford Street and Republic Boulevard)
- Republic Avenue (between Nicoll Highway and Republic Avenue)
- Carriageway of Republic Boulevard in the direction of Republic Avenue (between Ophir Road and Republic Avenue)
- Carriageway of Republic Boulevard in the direction of Republic Avenue (between lamp post 12F and Republic Avenue)
- Carriageway of Republic Boulevard in the direction of Raffles Avenue (between Republic Avenue and Raffles Avenue).
The following roads and lanes will be closed from 8 am on 10, 17 and 24 June to 12 am on 11, 18 and 25 June:
- Supreme Court Lane
- Parliament Place (between North Bridge Road and Supreme Court Lane)
- Two left lanes of High Street (between lamp post 5 and North Bridge Road)
- Coleman Street (between Supreme Court Lane and North Bridge Road)
- Stamford Road (between Nicoll Highway and Beach Road)
- Four left lanes of Stamford Road (between Beach Road and North Bridge Road)
- The extreme right lane of the carriageway of Beach Road in the direction of Stamford Road (between lamp post 6 and Bras Basah Road)
- Two right lanes of Bras Basah Road (between lamp post 68/1F and Beach Road)
- Four right lanes of Bras Basah Road (between Beach Road and Nicoll Highway)
- Raffles Boulevard (between Nicoll Highway and Raffles Link)
- Two right lanes of the carriageway of Middle Road in the direction of Nicoll Highway (between lamp post 3 and Nicoll Highway)
- Carriageway of Nicoll Highway in the direction of Esplanade Drive (between Guillemard Road and Esplanade Drive)
- Slip road leading from the roundabout connecting Stadium Drive, Stadium Road and Stadium Place to Nicoll Highway
- The extreme right lane of the slip road leading from the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway to Nicoll Highway (between lamp post 20S19 and Nicoll Highway)
- Slip road leading from the roundabout connecting Stadium Drive to Nicoll Highway
- Slip road leading from Mountbatten Road to Nicoll Highway
- Three left lanes of the carriageway of Guillemard Road in the direction of Nicoll Highway (between lamp post 4 and Nicoll Highway)
- Five right lanes of Raffles Avenue (between lamp post 26F and Nicoll Highway).
The following roads and lanes will be closed from 1 pm to 3 pm and 6.30 pm to 8 pm on 10, 17 and 24 June:
- North Bridge Road (between Stamford Road and Parliament Place)
- Three left lanes of North Bridge Road (between lamp post 61 and Stamford Road).
Apart from these mass closures, do also note that on 10, 17 and 24 June:
- The extreme left lane of North Bridge Road (between lamp post 69 and Coleman Street) will be closed from 3 pm to 6.30 pm
- Coleman Lane (between Coleman Street and lamp post 3F) will become a two-way road between 1 pm to 3 pm and 6.30 pm to 8 pm
Do note that these road closures are limited to just the NDP rehearsals, and road closure schedules are different for all three of the Educational Shows, the Preview Show and the actual National Day Parade.
You may want to refer to the road closure schedule for those other shows here.
If you have any further questions, you may wish to contact the organiser at 1800-637-2023.