Singapore will begin its enhancement work for sheltered walkways from transport nodes to schools and health care facilities from the four quarter this year, the city state's Land Transport Authority said on Thursday.

The sheltered walkway building program will add totally more than 200 kilometers of new sheltered walkways, which is four times more than the 46 kilometers nowadays, aiming at more convenience to all who walk to their ride on the public transport network, no matter rainy days or sunny days.

Currently, sheltered walkways are provided from transport nodes to schools and health care facilities within a 200 meters radius.

The enhancement program will expand the coverage of the sheltered walkway network by ensuring sheltered connectivity between transport nodes and schools, health care facilities, residential developments and public amenities within a 400 meters radius of all Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) stations and within a 200 meters radius of all Light Rail Transit (LRT) stations and bus interchanges.

The program, initially announced in January last year, will also connect about 100 existing bus shelters with high usage to trip generating hubs within a 200 meters radius of these bus shelters.

The authority has already awarded two contracts worth 156.6 million Singapore dollars (125.3 million U.S. dollars) under the enhancement program, which will construct sheltered walkways around 59 MRT stations in the northeastern and northwestern parts of Singapore.

The work for the two contracts are expected to commence in the fourth quarter and will complete progressively by 2018.

The authority has also called two more tenders to extend the program to another 29 MRT stations, 38 LRT stations and one bus interchange.