Morning traffic was generally smooth in both directions along the Marina Coastal Expressway (MCE) as of 8.45am on Monday, despite the rain and heavier traffic as commuters headed back to work after the holidays.

No major snarls were reported along the tunnel and key roads such as Central Boulevard - a far cry from the massive jams last Monday, which left thousands of motorists stuck for more than an hour.

Highways surrounding the MCE were clogged up however. An accident on the ECP towards the city after Fort Road exit has caused traffic to be backed up. Heavy traffic was also reported on the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE) near Exit 2B into Keppel Road. Similarly, traffic was backed up on the CTE going into the CIty along the Merchant Road exit at about 9.20am for about 15 minutes due to a minor accident involving a five vehicles.

Motorists had experienced heavy traffic and jams on the MCE early last week with many complaining about poor signage and having too few lanes to filter into.

The LTA has since expanded Central Boulevard from two to four lanes to cope with the heavy traffic entering the Central Business District from this exit. More electronic signs have also been put up along the 10-lane MCE.