The new road that will cut across Bukit Brown Cemetery will feature a vehicular bridge for nearly a third of the way.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) released the finalised alignment of the road on Monday.
LTA said the 670-metre bridge will go over existing creeks to minimise the impact on the biodiversity in the area.
LTA added that fewer graves will be affected than earlier estimates, following the completion of grave identification works.
In all, a total of 3,746 graves will be removed for the new dual four-lane road.
This is lower than the earlier estimate of 5,000 graves.
Despite several consultations in the past six months, civic groups are still unhappy and have continued to raise concerns over the road alignment.
Dr Ho Hua Chew, an executive committee member from the Nature Society Singapore, said: “A lot of forest birds can be badly affected. If it’s under shadow (of the bridge), the vegetation will not flourish.”
The authorities have also commissioned the documentation of the affected graves. A team will note family histories, stories and memories associated with the cemetery.
The full list of affected graves will be published in the newspapers and will also be available on LTA’s webpage.
Next-of-kin can register their claims from March 20. Public exhumation works have also been pushed back by three months to the first quarter of 2013 to allow more time for claims to be made.
Heritage groups meanwhile would like documentation to be extended to other graves, before the area makes way for public housing in 20 years.
Source : Channel NewsAsia – 19 Mar 2012