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Straits Times
2 days ago
- Straits Times
Tanjong Katong sinkhole backfilled; road to be repaved after PUB tests
Find out what's new on ST website and app. SINGAPORE – The sinkhole in Tanjong Katong Road South has been backfilled, and national water agency PUB will conduct tests before the caved-in road is repaved. Giving this update in a Facebook post on July 28, Mr Goh Pei Ming, an MP for Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, said PUB 's tests will include drilling probes, which are up to 20m deep, to check that there are no air pockets in the soil. These come on top of radar scans to assess ground conditions. A section of Tanjong Katong Road South collapsed on the evening of July 26, swallowing a car and its driver. The driver was rescued and sent to Raffles Hospital for observation. She had experienced muscular pain. The sinkhole was located near a PUB construction site, which involved sewer laying works. The road has since been closed, with traffic and bus services diverted. The tests and analysis will take some time, said Mr Goh, who is also Minister of State for Home Affairs as well as Social and Family Development. 'I understand residents are keen to know when the road can be reopened. I think it is best we give the agencies the time to be doubly sure the road is safe before we reopen,' he added. In a statement later in the day, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said it is starting an independent investigation into the incident under the Building Control Act. The probe will examine the circumstances leading to the sinkhole's formation, identify the causes, and act against any non-compliance under the Building Control Act and Regulations. 'Given the complexity of the incident, the investigations could take several months to complete. It will include detailed geotechnical analysis and other validation tests by BCA and its appointed consultants,' the authority added. Mr Goh said traffic was smooth when he visited the site on the morning of July 28, noting that the Land Transport Authority had put out messages to motorists, as well as worked with the Ministry of Education to notify parents of road diversions. Tanjong Katong Road South is on the boundary of Mountbatten constituency and Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC. PUB said on July 27 that the works at the site next to the sinkhole involved the construction of a 16m-deep shaft to connect three existing sewer lines, and a structure in the shaft had failed at about 5.50pm on July 26 – around the same time the sinkhole formed. It is still unclear what contributed to the failure of the caisson ring, a concrete structure in the shaft. A caisson ring is a watertight concrete cylinder that is sunk underground to form a stable foundation for other structures. The Straits Times has asked PUB for more information, including the nature of the failure, the ground monitoring regime in place before the incident, as well as whether a reported burst water pipe nearby on July 25 was connected to the sinkhole occurring the next evening. Editor's note: An earlier version of this report quoted MP Goh Pei Ming saying that LTA will conduct tests before the road is repaved. Mr Goh has since updated his Facebook post to say PUB is carrying out the tests.
CNA
2 days ago
- Automotive
- CNA
Condo near Tanjong Katong sinkhole to hire independent engineers to assess safety
SINGAPORE: A condominium next to the sinkhole in Tanjong Katong will appoint independent engineers to assess its grounds, as authorities complete backfilling and begin further checks in the area. "We understand residents' concern as the sinkhole location is a stone's throw away from our estate," said a message from One Amber condominium's management office sent to residents in the early hours of Monday (Jul 28). "Please be informed that the management of One Amber will be seeking independent professional advice from civil and structure engineers on the common areas, in particular those that are in close proximity to the sinkhole area," said the message, which was seen by CNA. The management added it would share official updates from the authorities with residents as soon as possible. A sinkhole appeared along Tanjong Katong Road South on Saturday evening, and social media footage showed a car falling in. The female driver was rescued by workers and taken conscious to Raffles Hospital. The affected stretch of road has been closed until further notice for repairs. On Monday, MP Goh Pei Ming (PAP-Marine Parade-Braddell Heights) told CNA that further checks in the area include a radar scan that will detect cavities, followed by a probing system that will go 20m into the ground to ensure there are no undetected cavities. "20m is actually (quite deep), so that, they will do at a few spots, and that will probably take a bit of time," he said. "Once that is all completed, they will do analysis of all the results before giving an all clear on the road to be repaved, and thereafter plans for reopening." In a Facebook post, Mr Goh said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will ensure there are no air pockets in the soil before repaving. "I understand residents are keen to know when the road can be reopened. I think it is best we give the agencies the time to be doubly sure the road is safe before we reopen," he wrote. He also noted that morning traffic had been smooth, and that LTA deployed vehicular messaging systems and worked with the Ministry of Education to inform parents about diversions.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Tanjong Katong sinkhole backfilled; road to be repaved after LTA tests
SINGAPORE – The sinkhole in Tanjong Katong Road South has been backfilled, and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will conduct tests before the caved-in road is repaved. Giving this update in a Facebook post on July 28, Mr Goh Pei Ming, an MP for Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, said the LTA's tests will include drilling probes, which are up to 20m deep into the soil, to check that there are no air pockets. These come on top of radar scans to assess ground conditions. A section of Tanjong Katong Road South collapsed on the evening of July 26, swallowing a car and its driver. The driver was rescued and sent to Raffles Hospital for observation. She had experienced muscular pain. The road has since been closed, with traffic and bus services diverted. The tests and analysis will take some time, said Mr Goh, who is also Minister of State for Home Affairs as well as Social and Family Development. 'I understand residents are keen to know when the road can be reopened. I think it is best we give the agencies the time to be doubly sure the road is safe before we reopen,' he added. Mr Goh said traffic was smooth when he visited the site on the morning of July 28, noting that LTA had put out messages to motorists, as well as worked with the Ministry of Education to notify parents of road diversions. Tanjong Katong Road South is on the boundary of Mountbatten constituency and Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC. Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction Discover how to enjoy other premium articles here
Business Times
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Business Times
Car that fell into Tanjong Katong Road South sinkhole removed; road remains closed for repairs
[SINGAPORE] The black car that fell into a sinkhole along Tanjong Katong Road South was hoisted out with a crane on the Sunday (Jul 27) afternoon, as work continues to repair the road and reopen it to traffic. That stretch of Tanjong Katong Road South between Mountbatten Road and East Coast Parkway remains closed, one day after a sinkhole caused two lanes of the road to collapse. The road closure will also mean bus services 36 and 48 will be diverted and skip bus stops along Marine Parade, Amber, Mountbatten and Tanjong Katong roads, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said in a Facebook post on July 27. 'Motorists and commuters are advised to plan ahead for their journeys and anticipate possible delays,' said LTA in its post. The authority did not say when repair works will be completed and the road reopened. The sinkhole had formed at around 5.50pm on July 26, according to national water agency PUB. The collapse caused a car to fall in, and its driver, a woman, was rescued by workers at the site. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 8.30 am Asean Business Business insights centering on South-east Asia's fast-growing economies. Sign Up Sign Up After she was taken to safety, videos of the sinkhole showed that it rapidly filled with water. In its post, LTA said it is working closely with PUB and the Building and Construction Authority to monitor repair works and ensure the area is safe. The incident had taken place adjacent to a PUB worksite. Residents had earlier told reporters that there was a burst water pipe in the same area the night before the sinkhole appeared. Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC MP Goh Pei Ming visited the site on July 27 and told reporters later that PUB has assessed the ground to be stable. He said the sinkhole had to be drained slowly so the authorities can assess how the ground responds to the water being extracted. The fallen car was hoisted out with a crane after 2.05pm on July 27. The black Mazda had a heavily dented front end and a smashed windscreen, and was covered in scratches. The entire lifting operation took about 10 minutes. Goh said that the authorities hope to restore normalcy to the area as quickly as possible, and are working towards a tentative goal of repairing the road before July 28. On Jul 27, Mountbatten MP Gho Sze Kee, who also visited the site in the morning, said the woman is in hospital for observation and that she has been experiencing muscular pain. Construction site foreman Pitchai Udaiyappan Subbiah, who pulled the woman out of the hole together with his colleagues, told reporters they had acted on instinct to save her. 'Someone had fallen in. We were just determined to save her as fast as possible. That was the goal,' said the 46-year-old Subbiah in Tamil. Some residents told ST that extensive road and excavation works have been taking place in the area, and were worried about whether this affected ground integrity. 'I hope it's a one-off incident and the authorities will investigate and make sure it doesn't happen again,' said Tommy Lim, 47, a sales manager. THE STRAITS TIMES
CNA
3 days ago
- Automotive
- CNA
Car lifted out from Tanjong Katong sinkhole
SINGAPORE: A car that fell into a sinkhole along Tanjong Katong Road South was lifted out on Sunday (Jul 27) afternoon. A crane was used to lift the blue car out of the hole before it was lowered back onto the road. Its windscreen was smashed, with the roof dented in. Workers then used a light blue sheet to cover the car. Member of Parliament Goh Pei Ming said earlier on Sunday that the ground at the sinkhole is stable and that authorities were working to remove the water before extricating the car. In an update on Facebook, PUB said that the driver was able to walk and was undergoing further check-ups. The agency said it was in touch with her to provide 'the necessary support'. It also acknowledged the quick actions by the workers who pulled the woman out of the sinkhole. It had earlier attributed her rescue to the Singapore Civil Defence Force. The sinkhole appeared along Tanjong Katong Road South on Saturday, causing a vehicle to fall into the water-filled hole. The female driver was rescued by workers and taken conscious to Raffles Hospital. Tanjong Katong Road South between Mountbatten Road and East Coast Parkway (ECP) will be closed until further notice for repairs, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Sunday morning. Bus services 36 and 48 have been diverted. Mr Goh, who is also Minister of State for Home Affairs, said earlier that once water levels had gone down, the authorities would assess whether it was safe to remove the vehicle. 'They understand and they also want to make sure that they are able to repair the road quickly and to restore normalcy to this area,' he said, especially for residents who need to commute to work on Monday. WATER SUPPLY In a Facebook post on Sunday, MP Gho Sze Kee updated that water pressure and supply to residents in nearby affected areas were fully restored at 2.30am. Some residents had experienced disruptions to their water supply following the sinkhole. Tanjong Katong Road South lies at the boundary between Mountbatten Single Member Constituency, where Ms Gho is the MP, and Mr Goh's ward in Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC. Ms Gho said: 'As of now, with the works still going on round the clock, we do not as yet have clarity on the timeline to fully return to normalcy.' PUB said in a second statement on Sunday morning that the water supply was disrupted for more than four hours after the incident. The agency received feedback from about 18 households in the area.
