Ayer Rajah Expressway
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2021) |
 | |
|---|---|
| Lebuhraya Ayer Rajah (Malay) 亚逸拉惹高速公路 (Chinese) ஆயர் ராஜா விரவுச்சாலை (Tamil) | |
 Ayer Rajah Expressway is labelled in single yellow line | |
| Route information | |
Part of  AH143 | |
| Length | 26.5 km (16.5 mi) |
| Existed | 1983–present |
| History | First section completed in 1988, last section completed in 1998 |
| Major junctions | |
| West end | Tuas Checkpoint (Tuas Second Link) |
| PIE, ORRS (Portsdown Avenue), CTE | |
| East end | Keppel (MCE) |
| Location | |
| Country | Singapore |
| Regions | Tuas, Jurong, Clementi, West Coast, Bukit Merah |
| Highway system | |
The Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE) extends from the western end of the Marina Coastal Expressway (MCE) in the south of Singapore[1][2][3] to Tuas in the west near the Tuas Second Link to Malaysia. Together with the MCE and the East Coast Parkway (ECP), it forms a second east-west link to complement the role played by the Pan Island Expressway (PIE).
History
[edit]Construction on the expressway commenced in 1983, with the first two phases completed by 1988. This section involved the widening of several existing roads along the way, such as Ayer Rajah Road and Upper Ayer Rajah Road, as well as the construction of what was then the longest road viaduct, the Keppel Viaduct, from where the eastern end of the expressway commences. The road extends from Alexandra Road until Keppel Road. It ends at Teban Flyover along Jurong Town Hall Road.
With the construction beginning from 5 December 1993, the existing Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim from Tuas West Drive to Jurong Town Hall Road was widened and merged into Ayer Rajah Expressway which was opened on 18 November 1997. The expressway was extended to Tuas from Teban Flyover in conjunction with the opening of the Tuas Second Link to Johor on 2 January 1998. This construction, which followed the alignment of Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim, involved the expansion of the existing road to match with the width of the rest of the AYE, construction of "filter" roads on both sides of the expressway (which eventually took the name of Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim), and the building of five flyovers and two underpasses. It meets up with the PIE at the Tuas Flyover.
The eastern terminus of the AYE used to continue onto the western terminus of the East Coast Parkway (ECP). After the MCE was opened on 29 December 2013, the ECP was truncated and the MCE had taken over parts of the route, which connects AYE to the Kallang–Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) and ECP.[4]
Proposed realignment
[edit]During the 2014 Singapore National Day rally, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong spoke of the possibility of realigning the stretch of the AYE near Jurong Lake Gardens south to allow for more space to build housing in the area.[5] Government agencies later further explained that such a move would "integrate the Pandan Reservoir area with Jurong Lake District to form a larger and more cohesive development area".[6][7]
National Development Minister Desmond Lee gave an update on this proposed realignment on 30 June 2024, sharing that "agencies are currently studying various options, including how we can make it easier for residents to move between Teban Gardens and Jurong Lake District", with more information to be made available when ready.[8]
Gallery
[edit]-
Local bus heading west on Ayer Rajah Rd - 1945 -
The Clementi section of the Ayer Rajah Expressway -
Another view -
Keppel Road -
A video taken from a car travelling west in the direction of Tuas, and exiting at Exit 9 (Clementi Road)
List of exits
[edit] | This section is missing kilometre posts for junctions. |
| Location | Name | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bukit Merah | Keppel Viaduct | – |  MCE
|
Eastern terminus; expressway continues as Marina Coastal Expressway (MCE) |
| 2A | West Coast Highway and Telok Blangah Road | Signed as exits 2A (westbound) and 2B (eastbound) | ||
| 2B | Keppel Road | |||
| Radin Mas Flyover | 2C | CTE
|
Eastbound entrance and westbound exit only; access to southern terminus of Central Expressway (CTE) | |
| Lower Delta Flyover | 3 | Lower Delta Road, Jalan Bukit Merah and Telok Blangah Road | ||
| Queenstown | Gillman Flyover | 6 | Alexandra Road | Eastbound entrance and westbound exit only |
| Portsdown Flyover | 7A | Normanton Park, Science Park Drive, Portsdown Avenue, one-north Avenue and Queensway | Signed as exits 7A (westbound) and 7B (eastbound) | |
| 7B | ||||
| Buona Vista Flyover | 8 | South Buona Vista Road and North Buona Vista Road | ||
| University Flyover | 9 | Clementi Road and National University of Singapore (westbound and eastbound) Singapore Polytechnic (eastbound only) |
||
| Clementi | Clementi Flyover | 10A | Clementi Avenue 2 and West Coast Road | Signed as exits 10A (westbound) and 10B (eastbound) |
| 10B | Clementi Avenue 2 | |||
| Pandan Flyover | 11 | Clementi Avenue 6 and PIE (westbound and eastbound) West Coast Way (westbound only) |
Access to Pan Island Expressway (PIE) via Clementi Avenue 6 | |
| Jurong East | Teban Flyover | 13 | Jurong Town Hall Road | |
| – | 14 | Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim and Penjuru Road | Westbound entrance and exit only | |
| Corporation Flyover | 15A | Corporation Road and Jurong Port Road | Signed as exits 15A (westbound) and 17 (eastbound) | |
| Jurong West | – | 15B | Yuan Ching Road | Eastbound entrance and exit only |
| Boon Lay | Jurong Hill Flyover | 17 | Jalan Boon Lay, Jurong Pier Road and Jurong Island (westbound) Jurong Pier Road, Jalan Boon Lay, Jurong Port Road and Corporation Road (eastbound) |
Eastbound exit serves as eastbound counterpart to exit 15A |
| Pioneer Flyover | 18 | Pioneer Road North, Pioneer Road and Benoi Sector (westbound) First Lok Yang Road, Pioneer Road and Pioneer Road North (eastbound) |
||
| Pioneer | Benoi Flyover | 20 | Benoi Road (westbound and eastbound) Gul Way (eastbound only) | |
| Tuas Flyover | 22 | PIE, KJE Tuas Road (westbound) PIE, KJEJalan Ahmad Ibrahim (eastbound) |
Access to westbound terminus of PIE and Kranji Expressway (KJE); access to latter via PIE | |
| Tuas | Tuas West Underpass | 24 | Tuas Avenue 8 and Tuas West Road | Signed as exits 24 (westbound) and 26A (eastbound) |
| 26A | Tuas West Road | |||
| Tuas Checkpoint Viaduct | 26B | Tuas West Drive | No eastbound exit | |
| – | Second Link | Western terminus; expressway continues as Second Link | ||
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Speech By Mr Raymond Lim At The Visit To LTA's Intelligent Transport Systems Centre (ITSC) on 27 July 2007". MOT. 27 July 2007. Archived from the original on 4 September 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
- ^ "Government Approves the Construction of MCE". LTA. 27 July 2007. Archived from the original on 18 August 2007. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
- ^ "Marina expressway to be ready by year-end". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 8 June 2013. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
- ^ "Marina Coastal Expressway opens". Today. 29 December 2013. Archived from the original on 1 July 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
- ^ "National Day Rally 2014". Prime Minister's Office (Singapore). 17 August 2014. Archived from the original on 1 July 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
- ^ Tan, Christopher (23 August 2014). "The dollars and sense of realigning the Ayer Rajah Expressway". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 1 July 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
- ^ "First phase of Jurong Lake Gardens to be complete by 2017". Today. 18 August 2014. Archived from the original on 1 July 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
- ^ Ng, Keng Gene (30 June 2024). "New park connector along Sungei Pandan to be ready by March 2025". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 1 July 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Ayer Rajah Expressway at Wikimedia Commons
