57-year-old Thomson Road building to be demolished for North-South corridor's construction

The building's foundation is not strong enough to withstand excavation works.

Fiona Tan | April 17, 2021, 11:26 AM

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The Singapore government has acquired a building along Thomson Road to make way for the construction of the North-South Corridor (NSC) on Apr. 16.

Situated opposite United Square shopping mall at 68-74 Thomson Road, the 57-year-old four-storey building will be torn down by the end of 2021.

The occupants of the building 12 residential units and four shops had vacated in February 2021.

Building has to be strengthened

The building is located about 6m away from the Thomson stretch of the NSC tunnel where excavation works have been planned.

Prior to this, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) appointed and deployed qualified and professional engineers to conduct an impact assessment study of the building in early 2020.

The study had found that the building’s foundation would require reinforcements before the start of excavation works.

The building's occupants were vacated to ensure their safety during strengthening works and found alternative places of residence or business with LTA's assistance.

According to a CNA report, the businesses affected include Tanjong Rhu Pau, Healing Touch and Animal Infirmary Veterinary Clinic.

In line with the Land Acquisition Act, affected occupants will be compensated according to the market value of the land acquired.

Impractical and risky

However, further tests indicated that the building's concrete strength was lower than that needed to safely carry out the strengthening work.

This was supported by an independent inspection by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), which concluded that any strengthening work would ultimately be "impractical and risky".

It was decided that the building would be acquired for demolishing to allow for excavation works to begin.

North-South Corridor

Construction efforts for the NSC started in 2018 and is expected to be completed in 2027.

Through a series of viaducts and tunnels spanning 21.5km, the NSC will intersect various expressways, including the Seletar Expressway (SLE), Pan Island Expressway (PIE) and East Coast Parkway (ECP).

This connects motorists travelling between Singapore's northern region and the city's centre and is expected to improve traffic conditions on the Central Expressway (CTE).

The unused road space can subsequently be used for community spaces, priority bus lanes and pedestrian and cycling paths.

Top image courtesy of Google Maps