Police set up CTE roadblock, nab 12 for drink driving and other offences

Police on Dec 21 took the unusual step of organising an anti-drink driving operation on the CTE, targeting motorists leaving the city centre after 2am.

- Zaihan Mohamed Yusof

The CTE roadblock was part of an extensive islandwide operation against drink driving conducted between Dec 20 and Dec 21 on expressways.

It comes in the wake of figures that showed drink driving was responsible for the loss of 10 lives in the first 10 months of 2024.

The Traffic Police (TP) roadblock, which saw the left two lanes of the four-lane carriageway closed off just before the Jalan Bahagia exit in the direction of Ang Mo Kio, caused a tailback that stretched more than 1km on the expressway.

Motorists unhappy with the delay blasted their horns, which woke residents living at Block 75 Whampoa Drive, an HDB block located next to the CTE.

The police said roadblocks on expressways are necessary to deliver a strong deterrent message to potential offenders.

"While members of the public may be accustomed to seeing roadblocks conducted on arterial roads, roadblocks can also be set up in various other locations and terrains, including expressways," said the police, adding that the last time a roadblock was done on an expressway was more than 10 years ago.