Oil spill along CTE towards AYE before Outram exit

SINGAPORE —  An oil spill occurred on the CTE, in the direction towards the AYE before the Outram exit this afternoon (Feb 4), causing a massive traffic jam.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said a section of CTE (AYE) after Merchant Road and the Chin Swee Tunnel (to AYE) was temporarily closed at 3.30pm for a clean-up operation.

"Preliminary investigation showed that the spillage was caused by a trailer which had broken down due to a mechanical fault. Officers from the Singapore Civil Defence Force and the National Environment Agency (NEA) are on-site to conduct the necessary clean up works," LTA said in a statement at 6.20pm.

LTA said to facilitate peak-hour traffic flow, it partially re-opened a single lane along Merchant Road at 5.55pm.

At 8.09pm, LTA tweeted that all lanes on the CTE towards AYE and the Merchant Road entrance into the tunnel were re-opened. It added that road work was complete as well.

Traffic police were at the scene to divert and regulate traffic. Singapore police earlier posted on Facebook that the incident affected three lanes on the expressway, causing a congestion. They advised motorists to avoid travelling on the CTE towards the AYE, and to use the Balestier exit to avoid road closures and traffic congestion.

A driver who saw the aftermath of the oil spill, 'Bobcatsysop YK Chan', posted a video of the leaking tanker on YouTube. He said the oil had caused a few vehicles to lose control and skid on the road.

NEA said a water-based biodegradable dispersant was poured on the oil slick. However, after two rounds of washing, the diesel could not be completely washed off the road surface, and LTA decided to resurface parts of the road.

"The wastewater generated from the washing of the road flowed into an existing sump and was pumped into the public sewer. No water was discharged into the public drain flowing into the Stamford Canal," an NEA spokesperson said. CHANNEL NEWSASIA