Fort Road connects Mountbatten Road to Tanjong Rhu Flyover. Named in the 1920s after the now demolished Katong Fort, this road presently is a quiet residential place made popular by the presence of the historic Katong Park.
History
Little is known about when this road was first laid. Fort Road was supposedly built to lead to Katong Fort. Katong Fort was demolished and Katong Park was constructed in its place in the 1930s. One of Singapore's oldest parks, it originally faced the sea. Its sea frontage was lost when reclamation work in the East Coast took place in the 1960s. Three bombs exploded in the park in 1963 during Singapore's independence struggle. The park was designated a historic site in 1998.
Description
The layout of Fort Road is rather intricate involving a number of connecting roads and flyovers. It is linked to Tanjong Rhu flyover as well as East Coast Parkway. Tanjong Rhu flyover, a six-lane carriageway was built in the late 1980s and Fort Road was extended to connect to it. Originally the road ended at East Coast Parkway. There are two other roads that originate from Fort Road which are named as Fort Road as well; one runs between Fort Road and Arthur Road and the other begins from Fort Road but ends abruptly before it connects to Tanjong Rhu Road.
Although few large mansions reflect the laid-back sea-side life along Fort Road, today the street is lined with highrise condominiums for most of its length, such as Paterson Mansion, Fortville, Fort Gardens, Fort Redale and The Waterside. Katong Community Centre is located at the junction of Mountbatten Road and Fort Road. Muhammadiyah Welfare Home is situated on Mountbatten Road in the vicinity of Fort Road.
Author
Naidu Ratnala Thulaja
References
Dunlop, P. K. G. (2000). Street names of Singapore (p. 87). Singapore: Who's Who Publications.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 DUN)
Edwards, N., & Keys, P. (1988). Singapore: A guide to buildings, streets, places (pp. 387-389). Singapore: Times Books International.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 EDW)
Life in Katong (pp. 3-4). (2002). Singapore : National Library Board.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 LIF)
Savage, V. R., & Yeoh, B. S. A. (2003). Toponymics: A study of Singapore street names (p. 131). Singapore: Eastern Universities Press.
(Call no.: RSING 915.9570014 SAV)
Kang, J. (2001, March 1). Fort Road's "Fort" discovered. The Straits Times, Home, p. 9.
Kang, J. (2001, March 1). Another new chapter for historic park. The Straits Times, Home, p. 9.
Yap, M. (1987, November 11 ). Flyover for ECP, Fort Rd junction. The Straits Times.
Marking historic sites. (2001, March 1). The Straits Times, Home, p. 9.
Tanjong Rhu-ECP flyover opens. (1990, February 25 ). The Straits Times, p. 17.
Further Readings
Seven Fort Road bungalows to be sold for more than $48m. (1996, November 14). The Straits Times, Money, p. 54.
The information in this article is valid as at 2003 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.
