Four new gantries will be built on the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE) between Jurong Town Hall Road and North Buona Vista Road by the middle of next year to better manage traffic congestion in the area, Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew said yesterday.

Based on the Land Transport Authority’s traffic monitoring, average speeds along the AYE have deteriorated to below the optimal speeds of 45kmh on expressways, and have gone down to as low as 35kmh over the past one-and-a-half years.

This has resulted in “start-stop traffic conditions”, which are expected to worsen with new developments on the cards in the vicinity such as at the Jurong Gateway.

Three of the four new gantries will be built on the eastbound AYE towards the city. These will be in operation during morning and evening peak hours on weekdays. They will be located before the Clementi Ave 6 exit, as well as before the slip roads from Clementi Ave 2 and Ave 6.

The fourth gantry — to be located before the Clementi Road exit on the AYE towards Tuas — will be in operation during evening peak hours on weekdays. Mr Lui said that, in erecting the new gantries, alternative routes and modes of travel — such as the coming West Coast Highway and the City Direct bus service from Jurong East, which will start in “a few months” — were taken into account. WOO SIAN BOON