SINGAPORE: A stretch of Tanjong Katong Road South between Mountbatten Road and East Coast Parkway has been closed for repair works, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said in a Facebook post on Sunday (July 27), after a car fell into a sinkhole at the location a day earlier.
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, said LTA.
“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. It caused a car to fall in and two lanes of the road to collapse.
The driver, a woman, was rescued by workers at the site and later taken to hospital.
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 at 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.
Goh said the agency is also working on draining all the water from the sinkhole, but added that this has to be done slowly so that the authorities can assess how the ground responds to the water being extracted.
It will take around one to two hours to pump out the water, said Goh at around 10.30am on July 27.
After that, a decision will be made on whether it is safe to extricate the fallen vehicle, he said.
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.
A video of the incident circulating online showed workers pulling the driver of the car out of the sinkhole and helping her get to safety.
On July 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.
Just before 10am on July 27, The Straits Times observed that water was being pumped out of the sinkhole. It is believed that preparations are being made to hoist the fallen car out of the sinkhole.
Some residents told ST that extensive excavation works have been taking place in the area with construction of the Thomson-East Coast Line, 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/ANN
