Ayer Rajah Expressway
{{short description|Expressway in Singapore}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2021}}
{{EngvarB|date=July 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{infobox road
| country = SGP
| type = E
| route = AYE
| name = Ayer Rajah Expressway
| length_km = 26.5
| map = {{Maplink|type=line|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|stroke-colour=#0044ab}}
| map_custom = yes
| direction_a = West
| direction_b = East
| terminus_a = Tuas Checkpoint (Tuas Second Link)
| terminus_b = Keppel (MCE)
| regions = Tuas, Jurong, Clementi, West Coast, Bukit Merah
| formed = 1983
| history = First section completed in 1988,
last section completed in 1998
| junction = PIE, ORRS (Portsdown Avenue), CTE
| ahn = {{Jct|country=ASIA|AH|143}}
| translation = {{native name|ms|Lebuhraya Ayer Rajah}}
{{native name|zh-sg|亞逸拉惹高速公路}}
{{native name|ta|ஆயர் ராஜா விரவுச்சாலை}}
}}
The Ayer Rajah Expressway{{efn|{{IPAc-en|ipa|ˈ|ɑː|(|j|)|eɪ|_|ˌ|r|ɑː|dʒ|ɑː|,_|ˈ|ɑː|(|j|)|ɛər|_|-}} {{respell|AH|yay|_|RAH|jah}} or {{respell|AH|yair|-}}}} (AYE) extends from the western end of the Marina Coastal Expressway (MCE) in the south of Singapore{{cite web |title=Speech By Mr Raymond Lim At The Visit To LTA's Intelligent Transport Systems Centre (ITSC) on 27 July 2007 |url=https://www.mot.gov.sg/news-centre/news/Detail/Speech%20By%20Mr%20Raymond%20Lim%20At%20The%20Visit%20To%20LTA's%20Intelligent%20Transport%20Systems%20Centre%20(ITSC)%20on%2027%20July%202007/ |website=MOT |access-date=25 January 2020 |date=27 July 2007 |archive-date=4 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200904000339/https://www.mot.gov.sg/news-centre/news/Detail/Speech%20By%20Mr%20Raymond%20Lim%20At%20The%20Visit%20To%20LTA's%20Intelligent%20Transport%20Systems%20Centre%20(ITSC)%20on%2027%20July%202007/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Government Approves the Construction of MCE |url=http://app.lta.gov.sg/corp_press_content.asp?start=1802 |publisher=LTA |access-date=1 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070818090624/http://app.lta.gov.sg/corp_press_content.asp?start=1802 |archive-date=18 August 2007 |date=27 July 2007}}{{cite news |title= Marina expressway to be ready by year-end |url= http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/singapore/story/marina-expressway-be-ready-year-end-20130517 |work= The Straits Times |access-date= 31 May 2013 |archive-date= 8 June 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130608020606/http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/singapore/story/marina-expressway-be-ready-year-end-20130517 |url-status= live }} 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
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.{{Cite web |date=2013-12-29 |title=Marina Coastal Expressway opens |url=https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/marina-coastal-expressway-opens |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240701045820/https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/marina-coastal-expressway-opens |archive-date=2024-07-01 |access-date=2024-07-01 |website=Today}}
Proposed realignment
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.{{Cite web |date=2014-08-17 |title=National Day Rally 2014 |url=https://www.pmo.gov.sg/Newsroom/national-day-rally-2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240701062609/https://www.pmo.gov.sg/Newsroom/national-day-rally-2014 |archive-date=2024-07-01 |access-date=2024-07-01 |website=Prime Minister's Office (Singapore)}} 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".{{Cite web |last=Tan |first=Christopher |date=2014-08-23 |title=The dollars and sense of realigning the Ayer Rajah Expressway |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/the-dollars-and-sense-of-realigning-the-ayer-rajah-expressway |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240701063606/https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/the-dollars-and-sense-of-realigning-the-ayer-rajah-expressway |archive-date=2024-07-01 |access-date=2024-07-01 |website=The Straits Times}}{{Cite web |date=2014-08-18 |title=First phase of Jurong Lake Gardens to be complete by 2017 |url=https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/first-phase-jurong-lake-gardens-be-complete-2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240701063729/https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/first-phase-jurong-lake-gardens-be-complete-2017 |archive-date=2024-07-01 |access-date=2024-07-01 |website=Today}}
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.{{Cite web |last=Ng |first=Keng Gene |date=2024-06-30 |title=New park connector along Sungei Pandan to be ready by March 2025 |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/new-park-connector-along-sungei-pandan-to-be-ready-by-march-2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240701064432/https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/new-park-connector-along-sungei-pandan-to-be-ready-by-march-2025 |archive-date=2024-07-01 |access-date=2024-07-01 |website=The Straits Times}}
Gallery
File:Singapore - Ayer Rajah Rd 1951.jpg|Local bus heading west on Ayer Rajah Rd - 1945
File:AYE-SG.JPG|The Clementi section of the Ayer Rajah Expressway
File:ayer rajah expressway zz.JPG|Another view
File:Keppel Road.JPG|Keppel Road
File:Ayer Rajah Expressway towards Tuas, Singapore - 20141231.webm|A video taken from a car travelling west in the direction of Tuas, and exiting at Exit 9 (Clementi Road)
List of interchanges and exits
{{SGPinttop
|length_ref=
}}
{{SGPint
|location=Outram
|location_link=Outram, Singapore
|km=0.0
|flyover=Keppel Viaduct
|exit=—
|road={{SGPexpicon|MCE}} (towards ECP/KPE)
|notes=Eastern terminus, expressway continues as {{SGPexpicon|MCE}}
|type=trans
}}
{{SGPint
|location=Bukit Merah
|location_link=Bukit Merah
|lspan=4
|km=1.7
|flyover=Keppel Viaduct
|fspan=2
|exit=2A
|road=West Coast Highway
Telok Blangah Road
|notes= Westbound exit and entrance only
|type=incomplete
}}
{{SGPint
|km=2.3
|exit=2B
|road=Keppel Road
|notes=Eastbound exit only
|type=incomplete
}}
{{SGPint
|km=2.9
|flyover=Radin Mas Flyover
|exit=2C
|road={{SGPexpicon|CTE}} (towards SLE)
|notes= Eastbound exit and westbound entrance only
|type=incomplete
}}
{{SGPint
|km=3
|flyover=Lower Delta Flyover
|exit=3
|road=Lower Delta Road
Jalan Bukit Merah
Telok Blangah Road
|notes=Eastbound exit and westbound entrance only
|type=
}}
{{SGPint
|location=Queenstown
|location_link=Queenstown, Singapore
|lspan=5
|km=6
|flyover=Gillman Flyover
|exit=6
|road=Alexandra Road
|notes=Eastbound exit and westbound entrance only
|type=incomplete
}}
{{SGPint
|km=6.5
|flyover=Portsdown Flyover
|fspan=2
|exit=7A
|road=Normanton Park
Science Park Drive
Portsdown Avenue
one-north Avenue
Queensway
|notes=
|type=
}}
{{SGPint
|km=7.1
|exit=7B
|road=Normanton Park
Science Park Drive
Portsdown Avenue
one-north Avenue
Queensway
|notes=
|type=
}}
{{SGPint
|km=7.7
|flyover=Buona Vista Flyover
|exit=8
|road=South Buona Vista Road
North Buona Vista Road
|notes=
|type=
}}
{{SGPint
|km=9.7
|flyover=University Flyover
|exit=9
|road=Clementi Road
|notes=
|type=
}}
{{SGPint
|location=Clementi
|location_link=Clementi, Singapore
|lspan=3
|km=10.3
|flyover=Clementi Flyover
|exit=10A
|road=Clementi Avenue 2 (southbound)
West Coast Road
|notes=Westbound exit and entrance only
|type=incomplete
}}
{{SGPint
|km=10.7
|flyover=Clementi Flyover
|exit=10B
|road=Clementi Avenue 2 (northbound)
|notes=Eastbound exit and entrance only
|type=incomplete
}}
{{SGPint
|km=11.4
|flyover=Pandan Flyover
|exit=11
|road=Clementi Avenue 6
{{SGPexpicon|PIE}} (both bounds)
West Coast Way
|notes=Access to West Coast Way from only westbound exit
|type= incomplete
}}
{{SGPint
|location=Jurong East
|location_link=Jurong East, Singapore
|lspan=3
|km=13.4
|flyover=Teban Flyover
|exit=13
|road=Jurong Town Hall Road
|notes=
|type=
}}
{{SGPint
|km=14.4
|flyover=—
|exit=14
|road=Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim
Penjuru Road
|notes=Westbound exit and entrance only
|type= incomplete
}}
{{SGPint
|km=15.6
|flyover=Corporation Flyover
|exit=15A
|road=Jalan Terusan
Corporation Road
Jurong Port Road
|notes=Westbound exit and entrance only
|type= incomplete
}}
{{SGPint
|location=Jurong West
|location_link=Jurong West
|km=16.1
|flyover=—
|exit=15B
|road=Yuan Ching Road
|notes=Eastbound exit and entrance only
|type=incomplete
}}
{{SGPint
|location=Boon Lay
|location_link=Boon Lay
|lspan=3
|flyover=—
|km=16.8
|exit=17
|espan=2
|road=Jalan Boon Lay
Jurong Pier Road
Jurong Island
|notes=Access via Westbound exit
|type=
}}
{{SGPint
|km=18.2
|flyover=Jurong Hill Flyover
|exit=
|road=Jurong Pier Road
Jalan Boon Lay
Jurong Port Road
Corporation Road
|notes=Access via Eastbound exit
|type=
}}
{{SGPint
|km=18.6
|flyover=Pioneer Flyover
|fspan = 2
|exit=18
|road=Pioneer Road North
Pioneer Road
Benoi Sector
|notes=Access via Westbound exit
|type=
}}
{{SGPint
|location=Pioneer
|location_link=Pioneer, Singapore
|lspan=4
|km=19.7
|exit=18
|road=First Lok Yang Road
Pioneer Road
Pioneer Road North
|notes=Access via Eastbound exit
|type=
}}
{{SGPint
|km=20.4
|flyover=Benoi Flyover
|fspan = 2
|exit=20
|road=Benoi Road
Gul Way
|notes=Access via Westbound exit
|type=
}}
{{SGPint
|km=21.5
|exit=20
|road=Benoi Road
|notes=Access via Eastbound exit
|type=
}}
{{SGPint
|km=22.2
|flyover=Tuas Flyover
|fspan = 2
|exit=22
|road={{SGPexpicon|PIE}} (towards Changi)
Tuas Road
Tuas Port
|notes=Access via Westbound exit
|type=
}}
{{SGPint
|location=Tuas
|location_link=Tuas
|lspan=4
|km=23.4
|exit=22
|road={{SGPexpicon|PIE}} (towards Changi)
Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim
|notes=Access via Eastbound exit
|type=
}}
{{SGPint
|km=24
|flyover=Tuas West Underpass
|fspan = 2
|exit=24
|road=Tuas Avenue 8
Tuas West Road
|notes=Access via Westbound exit
|type=
}}
{{SGPint
|km=25.7
|exit=26A
|road=Tuas West Road
|notes=Access via Eastbound exit
|type=
}}
{{SGPint
|km=26.7
|flyover=Tuas Checkpoint Viaduct
|exit=—
|road=Second Link
|notes=Western terminus, expressway continues as Second Link via Tuas Checkpoint
|type=trans
}}
{{jctbtm|col=7|keys=incomplete,trans}}
See also
Notes
{{Notelist}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{commons category-inline||Ayer Rajah Expressway}}
{{Expressways of Singapore}}
{{coord|1.3222918|N|103.7502573|E|display=title}}
Category:Expressways in Singapore
Category:Downtown Core (Singapore)