The Pan Island Expressway (Abbreviated as: PIE) is the oldest and longest expressway in Singapore. It is also Singapore's longest road. The expressway runs from the

East Coast Parkway The East Coast Parkway (Abbreviation: ECP) is an expressway that runs along the southeastern coast of Singapore. The expressway is approximately in length, and connects Singapore Changi Airport in the east to the Benjamin Sheares Bridge, in ...

near

Changi Airport Singapore Changi Airport, commonly known as Changi Airport , is a major civilian international airport that serves Singapore, and is one of the largest transportation hubs in Asia. As one of the world's busiest airports by international passe ...

in the east to Tuas in the west and has a total length of . Initially conceived by the Public Works Department in the 1960s as part of road expansions for handling rising traffic volumes, work on the PIE commenced in 1964. The first section, Jalan Toa Payoh, was completed by 1969. Construction of the other segments of the expressway were carried out in the 1970s. The initial expressway, from Jalan Boon Lay to the East Coast Parkway, was completed in June 1982. The PIE was then realigned and extended further westward to Tuas between 1991 and 1993. By the 1990s, the expressway was able to handle large amounts of traffic. The expressway and the interchanges along its route were expanded in the 1990s and 2000s to alleviate traffic congestion.

Route

The Pan Island Expressway measures and is the longest expressway in Singapore. Beginning at a junction with the

near

, the expressway runs northwest to intersect the Tampines Expressway. It then curves southwest, passing through

Tampines Tampines () is the regional centre of the East Region of Singapore. With a population of 265,340 living across its five subzones, it is the second-most populous planning area in Singapore, according to the DOS Population Trends 2022. It is ...

Bedok Bedok () is a planning area and matured residential town located in the geographical region of Tanah Merah along the south-eastern coast of the East Region of Singapore. Bedok is bounded by five other planning areas: Paya Lebar to the north, ...

and Geylang before intersecting the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway and curving northwest, before heading west and running along the southern edge of Toa Payoh. From Toa Payoh, the expressway runs along the northern edge of Bukit Timah, curving southwest to meet the

Bukit Timah Expressway The Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) is a highway in Singapore that starts at the Pan Island Expressway in Bukit Timah and travels north to the Woodlands Checkpoint and the Johor–Singapore Causeway in Woodlands. History On 22 May 1982, tenders w ...

, before heading west once again at Clementi Avenue 6. The PIE then travels along the northern edges of Clementi,

Jurong East Jurong East is a planning area and residential town situated in the West Region of Singapore. It borders Jurong West and Boon Lay to the west, Clementi to the east, Tengah and Bukit Batok to the north and Selat Jurong to the south. First ...

and

Jurong West Jurong West is a planning area and residential town located in the West Region of Singapore. Jurong West shares boundaries with Tengah in the north, Jurong East in the east, Boon Lay and Pioneer in the south, and Western Water Catchment in ...

before ending at a junction with the

Ayer Rajah Expressway The Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE) extends from the western end of the Marina Coastal Expressway in the south of Singapore to Tuas in the west near the Tuas Second Link to Malaysia. Together with the Marina Coastal Expressway and the East Coas ...

at Tuas Road.

History

Plans

The PIE was initially conceived by the Public Works Department as part of plans to expand Singapore's road network in the 1960s to cope with a predicted large rise in traffic volume over the next two decades. It was the result of a four-year planning study conducted in 1967 by the Singaporean government and foreign planning consultants. The study was funded by the

United Nations Development Programme The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...

. Intended to connect Singapore's satellite towns and industrial estates, it would act as the main connector between the parts of Singapore and would handle high traffic volumes.

Construction

Construction of the PIE started in 1964 and took place in four phases. Jalan Toa Payoh, a long segment of the expressway between Thomson Road and Woodsville Circus, was completed in June 1969 and the segment between Woodsville Circus and Jalan Eunos, named Jalan Kolan Ayer and Paya Lebar Way, was completed by 1970. Work on the long section between Jalan Anak Bukit and Thomson Road began in March 1970. During the construction of this section of the expressway, rocks had to be excavated near Adam Road. Also, Kampong Chantek Bahru, off of

Bukit Timah Road Bukit Timah Road (; ms, Jalan Bukit Timah; ta, புக்கித் திமா சாலை) is a major road in Singapore extending from the city centre to Woodlands Road on the way to Johor Bahru in Malaysia. The road has a length of ...

, was cleared to make way for the expressway. In January 1975, the section of the expressway between Jalan Eunos and Kallang Bahru was completed, and Jalan Kolam Bahru, between Kallang Bahru and Woodsville Circus, was improved to form a part of the expressway. The section between Adam Road and Jalan Anak Bukit was opened in October 1976 and construction of the eastern part of the PIE, between Jalan Eunos and

, started in 1976. Work was started in November 1977 to expand Whitley Road to six lanes, along with the construction of a grade-separated interchange to link it with the PIE. The section of the expressway between Adam Road and Whitley Road was completed by 1978 and was opened to traffic in 1979. Construction from Jalan Anak Bukit to Boon Lay Road was started in 1978. To connect this section to the rest of the PIE, a $15.2 million

viaduct A viaduct is a specific type of bridge that consists of a series of arches, piers or columns supporting a long elevated railway or road. Typically a viaduct connects two points of roughly equal elevation, allowing direct overpass across a wide v ...

over Jalan Anak Bukit and Upper Bukit Timah Road was built. On 10 January 1981, the segment of the PIE between Jalan Eunos and the East Coast Parkway was officially opened by

Teh Cheang Wan Teh Cheang Wan ( zh, s=郑章远, p=Zhèng Zhāngyuǎn; 3 March 1928 – 14 December 1986) was a Singaporean architect and politician who was a member of the governing People's Action Party. He was in charge of the Housing Development Board as ...

, the then Minister of National Development, having cost $50 million to construct. The section of the expressway between Upper Bukit Timah and Corporation Road was opened soon after on 31 January 1981 by Lee Yiok Seng, the Parliamentary Secretary of National Development at the time. With the completion of two flyovers across Aljunied Road and Paya Lebar Road in June 1982—three months ahead of schedule—the PIE was fully opened.

Impact and expansions

Upon its opening, the Pan Island Expressway had a positive impact on traffic flow in certain areas by alleviating traffic, as was reported by a preliminary Public Works Department study in October 1981. From 1983 to 1984, two lanes, one in each direction, were added to the section of the expressway between Mount Pleasant Road and Jalan Boon Lay. By the early 1990s, the expressway was handling considerable traffic but experienced traffic congestion during peak hours. To alleviate this, portions of the PIE, such as the Woodsville interchange and the intersection with the Central Expressway, were upgraded in May 1991 at a cost of $180 million. In addition, service roads were constructed along the expressway near Toa Payoh and at the Woodsville interchange. Work began on an extension of the expressway from Hong Kah Circle to Tuas in October 1991, with a northward realignment and extension of the expressway from Hong Kah Circle to Pioneer Road North. Intended to serve as a connection to the Jurong industrial estate and Jurong West, the extension cost $81.3 million and was opened in December 1993. As the amount of traffic using the KJE and PIE to the Jurong industrial estate increased, the

Land Transport Authority The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Transport of the Government of Singapore. History Incorporation of Land Transport Authority Land Transport Authority (LTA) was established on 1 September 1995, f ...

upgraded the stretch of the PIE between Tengah Flyover and Tuas Road to a four-lane

dual carriageway A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...

from the previous three lanes. The work started in March 2004 and was finished in March 2006. Plans to connect the PIE together with Bedok North Avenue 3 were planned since September 2005, with construction began in May 2006 and completed on 29 November 2008, which provides a direct connection from Bedok to the PIE, after complaints over many years. Beginning in July 2011, the stretch of the PIE between Clementi Avenue 6 and Adam Road was widened; one lane was added to both sides of the expressway. As well, the Eng Neo, Chantek and Anak Bukit Flyovers were structurally expanded. The widened portions were progressively opened to traffic from July 2013.

List of exits

{, class="wikitable" , - ! scope="col" , Exit ! scope="col" , Destinations ! scope="col" , Notes , - , 1 ,

, , - style="background: #ffdddd" , 1 , Changi South Avenue 3 , Westbound entrance and exit only , - , 2 , Upper Changi Road North/East, Tampines Expressway ( SLE),

Changi Village Changi Village is a modern village situated at the northern tip of Changi which is at the eastern end of Singapore. It is the usual connecting point for travellers heading to Pulau Ubin or Malaysia by ferry. Fishermen in the kelongs located in ...

and Pasir Ris Town , , - , 3A , Tampines Street 31/Avenue 2 (eastbound)
Simei Road (westbound) , Signed as exit 3B eastbound , - style="background: #ffdddd" , 4B , Tampines Avenue 5, Simei Avenue , Signed as exits 4A (Simei Avenue) and 4B (Tampines Avenue 5) eastbound; no westbound exit to Simei Avenue , - , 6 , Bedok North Avenue 3 , , - style="background: #ffdddd" , 8A , Bedok North Road , Westbound entrance and eastbound exit only , - style="background: #ffdddd" , 8B , Bedok Reservoir Road , Westbound entrance and eastbound exit only , - , 9 , Jalan Eunos, Eunos Link , , - , 11 , Paya Lebar Road , , - , 12 ,

Kallang–Paya Lebar Expressway The Kallang–Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) is the third newest of Singapore's network of expressways. The southern (Kallang) section of the expressway opened first, on 26 October 2007, with the remaining (Paya Lebar) section opened on 20 Septemb ...

Kallang Bahru Kallang Bahru is a subzone within the planning area of Kallang, Singapore, as defined by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). This subzone is bounded by Bendemeer Road and Sungei Whampoa in the north; the Kallang River in the east; Kallang ...

, Bendemeer Road (westbound)
Kallang Way, Sims Way (eastbound) , Signed as exit 13 eastbound , - style="background: #ffdddd" , 15A , Central Expressway (City), , Eastbound exit and westbound entry only , - , 15B , Central Expressway ( Seletar Expressway/ Tampines Expressway), Upper Serangoon Road , Signed as exit 15 eastbound; no eastbound exit to Upper Serangoon Road , - style="background: #ffdddd" , 16 , Lorong 6 Toa Payoh , No westbound exit; Signed as exit 16A eastbound , - style="background: #ffdddd" , 17 , Balestier Road, Thomson Road, Upper Thomson Road, Toa Payoh , Signed as exit 17D eastbound; eastbound access to Toa Payoh , - style="background: #ffdddd" , 18 , Onraet Road , Eastbound entrance and exit only , - , 19 , Whitley Road, Stevens Road , , - , 20A , Adam Road (westbound)
Lornie Road, Lornie Highway (Braddell Road, Upper Thomson Road) (eastbound) , , - , 22 , Eng Neo Avenue , , - , 24 ,

( Woodlands) , , - style="background: #ffdddd" , 26A , Dunearn Road,

Clementi Road Clementi Road () is a road in Singapore. It starts at Bukit Timah Road and ends at West Coast Highway. Its landmarks include Maju Camp, the Singapore University of Social Sciences, Ngee Ann Polytechnic and National University of Singapore. T ...

, Eastbound entrance and westbound exit only , - style="background: #ffdddd" , 26B , Upper Bukit Timah Road , Westbound entrance and eastbound exit only , - , 27 , Clementi Avenue 6, (Commonwealth Avenue West (Clementi New Town) and AYE), Toh Tuck Avenue, Bukit Batok East Avenue 3, Old Toh Tuck Road , Signed as exit 28 eastbound , - , 30 , Toh Guan Road , , - , 31 ,

Jurong Town Hall Road Jurong Town Hall Road () is a road in Jurong East, Singapore that connects the Pan Island Expressway and West Coast Road. It was built in 1969 through Jalan Bahru Selatan so that Route 143 could connect to the Jurong Road 10-milestone market. I ...

, Bukit Batok Road, Jurong East , , - style="background: #ffdddd" , 32 , Jurong West Avenue 1, Jurong East Avenue 1 , Westbound entrance and exit only , - , 34 , Jurong West Avenue 2, Corporation Road , , - , 35 , Kranji Expressway (BKE) , , - , 36 ,

Jalan Bahar Jalan Bahar () is a major arterial road from Lim Chu Kang Road to Jurong West Avenue 2; originally a Jurong Road/Lim Chu Kang Road link. It was opened on 9 April 1965 to connect the rural areas of Lim Chu Kang to the Jurong Industrial Estate. It ...

, Kranji , , - , 38 , Pioneer Road North , , - , 40 , Upper Jurong Road , , - style="background: #dff9f9" , 41 ,

Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim () is a road located in Boon Lay, Singapore. Named after Singaporean politician Ahmad Ibrahim, the road links Ayer Rajah Expressway with Jurong Hill Flyover. History Built in 1961, it was the first road to be built as an ex ...

, Tuas Road , Westbound terminus; expressway continues as Tuas Road

References

External links

*
A list of PIE interchanges

{{Expressways of Singapore Expressways in Singapore Bedok Bukit Batok Bukit Timah Central Water Catchment Changi Clementi Geylang Kallang Jurong East Jurong West Novena, Singapore Pioneer, Singapore Tampines Tengah Toa Payoh Western Water Catchment