| TAKE a long, lingering look at Sentosa as it is now.
In about three years' time, the island with its giant Merlion, musical fountain and ferry terminal will be nipped and tucked in an extreme makeover exercise like you've never seen before. When you drive down the Sentosa gateway in 2009, the ferry terminal will be gone and, in its place, will be the huge Integrated Resort (IR) that is expected to attract millions of visitors every year. The pictures on these pages give a sneak peek into how the Sentosa skyline might look like soon.  | | Night entertainment: An artist's impression of Genting International-Star Cruise's proposed IR | However, the hive of activities in the pipeline is likely to mean one thing: There'll be quite a traffic situation on that small bridge in time to come. The blue-chip Sentosa Cove will be completed by then too, and it'll be home to about 2,500 waterfront properties. And when both the IR and Sentosa Cove are ready, you can expect cars snaking into the island every day, said Knight Frank's research director Nicholas Mak. He said: 'The traffic along that stretch will be very heavy. There'll be residents driving to and from Sentosa Cove, people driving to work in the IR, String not found, STYL = STYL.INL, PC = 3B33 and more visitors driving into the resort. 'There's going to be traffic congestion, especially during the peak morning and evening periods.' Since the opening of the new Vivo City mall, the traffic situation in that area has worsened, with the congestion starting from about 1km to 2km away, he said. The opening of the IR, an even bigger project, will only mean more traffic woes for the Pasir Panjang area and Sentosa gateway, especially during the weekend, he added. The IR site, which spans 49ha, is only slightly smaller than the Botanic Gardens. The solutions for the possible bottleneck seem limited. The Sentosa management can raise the entrance fees, but it'll mean a revisit to the past when a price hike caused a drop in the number of visitors, said Mr Mak. The possibility of building another bridge from the main island is also remote. This is because the areas near the gateway are already developed, with the Caribbean at Keppel Bay condominium on one side and the St James Powerhouse nightclub on the other. Said Mr Mak: 'You can always encourage people to take the new light rail into the island. 'But it's unlikely that those who live at Sentosa Cove will want to do that, since the rail system doesn't go there. 'Besides, people who can afford Sentosa Cove probably won't take public transport.' The most plausible solution would be to widen the existing bridge, but it'll be an expensive venture, said Mr Mak. When contacted, the Sentosa Leisure Group said it was unable to provide an update. The group said its new $140 million Sentosa Express system will open from January next year. A spokesman said: 'With its ease and connectivity to HarbourFront MRT station, it is expected that day trippers to Sentosa's popular beaches and attractions will increasingly use the new monorail system, thus freeing up Sentosa's roads considerably.' The rail system runs right into the new Vivo City building and can take 184 passengers in its two-carriage trains to Sentosa in less than four minutes. New carparks have already been built to cater to the potential influx of residents and visitors to the island, such as the 640-lot carpark between Siloso and Palawan beaches. SPRUCING UP OF BEACHES The island itself is undergoing a comprehensive $3 billion makeover which includes sprucing up the Siloso, Palawan and Tanjong beaches. Over the last four years, a series of new attractions, ranging from the Sentosa Luge ride to the Carlsberg Sky Tower, have sprouted on the island. The IR bidding race is now a three-way contest between the Kerzner-
CapitaLand, Genting International-Star Cruises partnerships and Eighth Wonder Asia. The winner will be announced by the end of the year. | 
