SINGAPORE: The police are investigating the driver of a lorry after metal plates fell from the vehicle and caused a traffic jam at an entrance to the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) on Monday (Oct 24).
Traffic on a slip road leading to the expressway was blocked by the metal plates, leading to a 30-minute jam, a Land Transport Authority (LTA) spokesperson told CNA on Friday.
LTA was alerted to the incident at the Nicoll Highway entrance to the KPE towards the Tampines Expressway at around 4.45pm on Monday.
LTA’s vehicle recovery services and traffic marshals were dispatched to investigate, and they found that the metal plates had rendered the road impassable.
The slip road was immediately closed off and vehicles were guided away from the area, the spokesperson added.
“Preliminary assessment was that the metal plates could have fallen off from a lorry and this was confirmed when the driver of the lorry subsequently returned to the incident site with lifting equipment to retrieve the metal plates,” the spokesperson said.
Footage of the incident circulating online showed a long line of vehicles stuck in a jam on the slip road. Pictures posted on social media showed several metal plates on the road, blocking the movement of vehicles.
The slip road was closed for about seven hours to facilitate repairs as the fallen metal plates had damaged the road surface.
It reopened to traffic at midnight after localised resurfacing works were completed.
“LTA would like to take this opportunity to remind drivers of goods vehicles to check that their load is properly secured before moving off to ensure the safety of all road users,” the spokesperson said.
The police added that no injuries were reported. Investigations are ongoing.