TPE-PIE Changi viaduct construction halted

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) and main contractor have agreed to mutually terminate the contract for the two-lane viaduct from Tampines Expressway (TPE) to the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE), as announced in a press statement on July 9.

A new tender will be called later in July, and the authority plans to award it by the fourth quarter of 2018.

As a result, the project’s completion is expected to be delayed by two years to the first half of 2022, as reported in the Straits Times.

Or Kim Peow Contractors (OKP), the original main contractor for the project, was responsible for a collapse at the viaduct on July 14, 2017, which killed one worker and injured 10 others.

OKP was carrying out works to cast the decking for the viaduct when a section of the structure collapsed with 11 workers—from China, India and Bangladesh—working on top of the structure at that time. Chinese National Chen Yichuan was killed, while the others were injured.

A multi-agency probe into the collapse found that the corbels—brackets that help support beams—had given way. Cracks were also found in the areas supporting 11 other parts of the viaduct

A few days before the fatal incident, OKP contractors had been convicted and fined for separate workplace safety lapses and the death of a worker in 2015.

In May 2018, OKP and five individuals involved in the incident were hauled to court for failing to take necessary measures to ensure their employees’ safety and health. They were also charged with carrying out unauthorised strengthening works to sections of the viaduct without the approval of the Commissioner of Building Control, as well as failing to notify the Commissioner of Building Control of said strengthening works.

Until the replacement contractor’s appointment, the site will be maintained by LTA’s term contractor. The new contractor will be responsible for completing the construction of the viaduct, including the demolition of any structures deemed unsafe, said the LTA.

LTA will continue to work closely with its contractors to ensure that they comply with workplace safety and health requirements. — Construction+ Online