SOUND BARRIERS AT EXPRESSWAYS

Mr Lew Syn Pau asked the Minister for Communications and Information Technology whether the Government will consider erecting sound barriers at expressways to shield off the traffic noise from residents living nearby, especially in areas where the expressways have been recently widened such as those near the Hillcrest Arcadia and Arcadia Gardens.

Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology is working closely with the Ministry of the Environment (ENV) on the issue of traffic noise. There is an on-going study to look at the noise impact from road traffic and MRT trains. This will review existing noise standards, recommend noise abatement measures and land-use designs to mitigate noise impact on residents. The issue of whether sound barriers should be erected along expressways will hence be covered in the study.

Mr Lew has mentioned two residential developments at Hillcrest Arcadia and Arcadia Gardens, which will be affected by the widening of the Pan Island Expressway (PIE). Even after the widening, the residential blocks in these developments will be about 50 to 100 metres away from the expressway. This setback is well within the recommended building setback of 30 metres imposed by Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). The Land Transport Authority expects that the noise level in these two developments would remain within the level prescribed by the Pollution Control Department from the Ministry of the Environment.