Oil leak on SLE slows morning traffic to a crawl

Many people had their morning work commute disrupted yesterday when an oil leak slowed traffic to a crawl on the Seletar Expressway (SLE), less than two weeks after an oil spill led to massive jams on Paterson Road.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) sent a 7.47am tweet to alert motorists to the congestion on the SLE in the direction of the Central Expressway (CTE) after the Lentor Avenue Exit. LTA also made updates via radio.

Drivers were also told that traffic had built up all the way to the Woodlands Avenue 2 Exit, and were advised to avoid Lane 1 of the SLE.

An LTA spokesman said Lane 1 was later closed to clean up the oil. The lane re-opened at around 9.40am.

The Straits Times understands that the oil could have leaked from a passing vehicle.

The police were informed at 7.26am, and traffic police were on the scene. No one was hurt.

Meanwhile, investigations into the Jan 15 oil spill on Paterson Road are ongoing. The truck driver who allegedly caused the spill has not been charged.

The oil spill led to the closure of all five lanes on Paterson Road towards River Valley, between Orchard Road and Orchard Boulevard. Traffic built up as far back as the CTE and Pan-Island Expressway.

The road was fully reopened 13 hours after the oil spill.

This article was first published on January 29, 2015.
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