If you feel as though your ride home has been taking in more road works in recent years, you are not imagining it.

The number of permits for road works by agencies such as telcos and utility service providers rose from a monthly average of 725 in 2010 to 1,000 last year - a 38 per cent increase.

Now, to get these agencies to finish their projects efficiently and reduce traffic disruptions, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) is making it more expensive when the road works go on and on.

From July 1, it will revise the application fees for works done on public streets to make it costlier when longer stretches of lanes are closed, and when works are done during peak periods, as well as over a longer timeframe.

This will take the form of a daily charge, added on to the existing flat rate of $165.

The revised fee structure is "to encourage applicants to optimally plan and complete their works efficiently and minimise the distance of lane closure", said the LTA.

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