Expressways of Singapore

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Clementi section of the Ayer Rajah Expressway.

The expressways of Singapore are special roads allowing motorists to travel quickly from one urban area to another. All of them are dual carriageways with grade-separated access. They usually have three lanes in each direction, although there are two- or four-lane carriageways in some places. There are eight expressways, with another one, the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway, currently under construction.

Construction on the first expressway, the Pan Island Expressway, started in 1966. The other expressways were completed in stages, with an extension of the Seletar Expressway being the most recently completed, in 1999. Today, there are 148 kilometres of expressways in Singapore.

Features

The Pan Island Expressway at Toa Payoh. Lines for lane, shoulder and median, as well as lane numbers and an EMAS signboard, are all visible in the photo.

There are no traffic lights on the expressways. At an interchange with another road, an expressway is connected to it via slip roads. This allows traffic to change routes without having to stop or slow down. Certain types of transport, such as pedestrians, bicycles, and learner drivers, are not allowed. The speed limit is usually 90 km/h; however, the old limit of 80 km/h still applies at certain stretches. Speed cameras are used to enforce these limits.

The road surface is asphalt, unlike normal roads which may have concrete surfaces. The lanes are separated with white dashed lines, while unbroken white lines are used to mark the edges of the median and shoulder. The shoulder is reserved for stops due to breakdowns and emergencies, and motorists are prohibited by law from travelling on it. Lanes are numbered from right to left, with lane 1 being the closest to the median. Crash barriers, cat's eyes and rumble strips are also used to ensure road safety.

There are signs marking the start and end of an expressway at its entry and exit points respectively. The Electronic Monitoring and Advisory Systemis used on all the expressways — cameras are used for live monitoring of expressway conditions, and LED signboards display information messages. The longest expressway, the Pan Island Expressway, is only 41 km long and therefore there are no rest areas.

A map showing the expressways of Singapore.

See also

• Motorway
• Freeway

References