Sinkhole-hit Tanjong Katong Road South to progressively reopen from Aug 2

SINGAPORE: The affected sections of Tanjong Katong Road South will reopen in stages from Saturday (Aug 2), the Land Transport Authority and PUB said in a joint statement on Friday, a week after the formation of a sinkhole forced its closure.

Tanjong Katong Road South, from East Coast Parkway (ECP) to Mountbatten Road, will open to traffic on Saturday at noon, while the opposite direction from Mountbatten Road to ECP will open on Monday from 5am, the agencies added.

"The Land Transport Authority and PUB have completed repair works and safety assessment of the affected road sections along Tanjong Katong Road South, as well as the surrounding roads," the statement read.

"These checks, conducted in consultation with the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), have confirmed that the roads are safe for use."

The site where the sinkhole opened up along Tanjong Katong Road South is adjacent to an active PUB worksite involving the construction of a 16m-deep shaft to connect three existing sewer lines.

A concrete component in the shaft "failed" at around 5.50pm last Saturday, according to the national water agency. Around the same time, a sinkhole formed on the adjacent road, causing a car to fall in. 

Seven migrant workers were involved in the rescue of the female driver, and their bravery has since drawn widespread praise.

LTA and PUB said that government agencies have, over the past week, worked to stabilise the ground by backfilling the sinkhole with liquefied stabilised soil.

This is a mixture of soil, water and cement which is commonly used to fill up voids underground.

"Following this, a series of rigorous tests were conducted to assess the ground condition and confirm that it was safe for reopening," they added.

"These include probing to check for voids and weak ground, ground penetrating radar surveys to detect subsurface abnormalities and seismic surveys to map the density and stability of underground layers.

"Based on these scans, no anomalies or cavities were detected within the area."

Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said in a Facebook post on Friday that PUB, LTA and BCA had been "working round the clock" to make the road safe again.

"They have conducted extensive tests including ground scans and stability checks, and I have been assured that the road will be safe for public use," she added.

Bus services 36 and 48, which were temporarily diverted, will also resume their original routing in the east-bound direction towards Changi Airport and Bedok on Saturday at noon.

As for the west-bound direction towards the city via ECP, they will serve all the affected bus stops along Tanjong Katong Road South, Mountbatten, Amber and Marine Parade roads on Monday, from the start of service.

"Motorists may continue to see ongoing works in the area, including repairs to underground utilities or laying of new utilities in replacement of damaged utilities after the roads have reopened," said LTA and PUB.

"We thank motorists and residents for their patience and understanding during the road closure period."

In her Facebook statement, Ms Fu added that there will be ongoing works to restore underground utilities in the area, but they will be "managed carefully to reduce inconvenience to everyone".

The Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) will convene an internal panel to investigate the cause of the sinkhole.

BCA has also said it will start an independent investigation into the incident, which could take several months given its complexity.