WITH five months to go before the inaugural SingTel Singapore Grand Prix, preparations for Formula One?s first night race are in full swing.

Starting this weekend, streets along the 5.067km Marina Bay circuit will be resurfaced with a special asphalt mix designed to withstand the high speed and skid forces of Formula One cars.

Among the roads affected: Esplanade Drive, Raffles Avenue, Raffles Boulevard and Stamford Road.

Termed Polymer Modified Binder (PMB), the special reinforced F1 mix, blacker than the usual asphalt laid on Singapore roads, also boasts about 16 per cent higher impact value.

It can hence withstand the high stress forces from F1 cars as they tear around at speeds of over 300kmh, and also meets guidelines set by the International Automobile Federation (FIA), motorsports? world governing body.

Work will start on Friday night on a 150-metre stretch along Raffles Boulevard, between Millenia Tower and the Ritz-Carlton Millenia.

The entire project is expected to cost about $5.8 million.

"The special mix may look darker, but motorists will feel no difference," assured Land Transport Authority director (road construction) Yap Boon Leong during a media briefing yesterday.

He also assured motorists that there would be no wear-and-tear impact on car tyres.

A 100m stretch along Raffles Avenue, in front of the Ritz-Carlton Millenia, was resurfaced with the PMB mix a month ago as a test project. No major complaints or accidents were reported.

However, motorists will have to put up with the inconvenience of some road closures. FIA regulations stipulate that the entire width of a particular stretch of track must be resurfaced at the same time to ensure the road is level.

Partial or full road closures can be expected between midnight and 6am until June, especially on week nights. The information will be disseminated to the public a few days before.

Provisions will be made so motorists have alternative access to their destinations.

After Raffles Boulevard, the work will proceed in an anti-clockwise direction around the circuit. A distance of about 150m to 200m will be covered every night.

As the work will be done late in the night, most F1 trackside hotels are not expected to feel a major impact on their businesses.

Said Pan Pacific Hotel's public relations manager Cheryl Ng: "We received detailed communication of these plans in advance. There was ample time to take appropriate measures to ensure minimal disruption to guests.

The LTA also reported that all F1 road works - costing about $24 million - will be completed by June 7, two weeks ahead of schedule.