There are hundreds of pedestrian overhead bridges in Singapore, but not many are as old (still existing) and unique as the one at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1, near the junction to Lorong Chuan.
Singapore’s first ever pedestrian overhead bridge was built over the busy Collyer Quay in 1964. The filmsy-looking former oldest bridge was long gone, probably deemed unsafe in today’s standard.
Henderson Waves, on the other hand, is the longest and tallest pedestrian bridge in Singapore, measured 274m long, 36m tall and completed in 2008. It is used, however, for leisure walking between Mount Faber Park and Telok Blangah Hill Park instead of crossing over a road.
This overhead bridge, built in 1975, links the private estate at Li Hwan Drive to a small field beside Goldenhill Park Condominium.
Unlike typical modern overhead bridges, the decades-old Lorong Chuan bridge looks like a long container box with rows of hexagonal windows at both sides.
Stepping onto the bridge, one feels he is entering another time zone even though the changed surroundings at both ends and the busy road underneath.
At every segment, there is an old-styled lamp tied to the cross bar to ensure the bridge is sufficiently lit at night.
Still going strong and showing no signs of fatigue, this unique old overhead bridge shall be around for many more years, unless the authority decides to upgrade or replace it to blend with its surroundings.
Built in 1967, the overhead bridge standing at the junction of Serangoon Road and St. Michael Road was the oldest overhead bridge in Singapore before it was dismantled and demolished in late 2019.
Published: 25 April 2011
Updated: 04 May 2020
Remember Singapore 
A simple non-sheltered, rather filmsy-looking, overhead bridge located at Bukit Panjang Road in 1972
(Source: The National Archives of Singapore)
The installation of the bridge, however, could not prevent people from jaywalking the busy road
Singapore’s first pedestrian overhead bridge (mentioned in the article above) at Collyer Quay, officially opened in May 1964 by then-Parliamentary Secretary (Culture) Fong Sip Chee
I saw this overhead bridge before
I honestly find this really cool. I never would have thought about overhead bridges when it comes to pre-90s Singapore (being a 90s kid). The Lorong Chuan bridge looks fascinating, and I certainly will try and visit it and take photos. I find 70s and 80s Singapore interesting, and it’s a shame that known and popular structures from the past are being torn down every new decade. Thank you for this website!
Nice article!
How about this one? The bridge that spans over Upper Bt Timah road in front of Bt Timah Shopping Centre?
How pedestrian bridges were constructed in the 1960s.
The photos show the construction of a pedestrian bridge at Upper Serangoon Road.
(Photo credit: http://www.communitywalk.com/UppersSerangoonhistory)
Oh lord, i can remember growing up near the st. michael road bridge!
Anyone remember the one at People’s Park/Pearl Centre? It has wooden planks for the walkway and you can see the traffic through the gaps. I remember I used to be scared crossing that bridge when I was a kid.
may bey ? i do not know if saw it before
Some statistics for reference here
http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19830802-1.2.57.aspx
The Straits Times
2 August 1983
The Public Works Department has so far built 110 pedestrian overhead bridges in Singapore.
Another 13 will be built by July next year at a cost of $3.4 million. The average cost of an overhead bridge is $260,000.
According to the National Development Ministry’s 1982 annual report, the number of mishaps involving pedestrians near overhead bridges has decreased from 162 in 1979 to 98 last year, a drop of 40 per cent.
Still going strong after 50 years
The Serangoon Road overhead bridge has been dismantled in late 2019, officially walking into history after 52 years of service
I find the current overhead bridges are not so effective in sheltering us from rain. Look at this new bridge along Clementi Ave 4. When it rains, we stiĺl get spattered by rains while walking along it. Wonder why they approve such design?
S’pore’s first 3D-printed pedestrian bridge set to be completed in Jurong West in 2028
6 April 2026
The Straits Times
In 2028, the first pedestrian bridge in Singapore to be constructed using 3D printing will go across the Jurong River, connecting residents from Jurong West to the new Tengah town, where more housing developments have been planned.
The use of the new technology is part of the Land Transport Authority’s (LTA) efforts to improve construction productivity amid labour constraints.
Such 3D concrete-printing technology provides manpower savings of up to 50 per cent due to the use of robotic arms, and cuts the time needed to produce a bridge segment from up to one day to four hours.
The bridge, to be located near Block 410 Jurong West Street 42, measures 10m long and 5m wide.
Research and development work for it started in January 2023, costing about $1.4 million for the development of material suitable for 3D printing, the engineering design of the bridge, as well as production and testing of the scale model, said Mr Allan Yeo, deputy director of street design and infrastructure technology at LTA.
LTA organised a media visit on April 2 to the DNV Technology Centre (West) laboratory near Joo Koon, where structural load tests were carried out on a smaller model of the bridge – 10m long and 2.5m wide – using 18 tanks, each filled with one tonne of water, to assess the structure’s behaviour.
The load of this new bridge will be equal to that of a typical pedestrian bridge, said LTA.
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/spores-first-3d-printed-pedestrian-bridge-set-to-be-completed-in-jurong-west-in-2028