Clementi landslide: 3 sections of park connector open, one stretch to stay closed till end-2023

SINGAPORE - A 550m stretch of the Ulu Pandan Park Connector that was closed after a landslide in September 2022 will remain shut until the end of 2023.

However, three sections of the park connector have been open since Feb 20, and one more stretch will open in March, said the National Parks Board (NParks) on its website.

The three sections – from Clementi Avenue 6 to Clementi Road, from Boon Lay Way and Ayer Rajah Expressway to Commonwealth Avenue West flyover, and from Clementi Road to Commonwealth Avenue West near Ghim Moh Road – have been opened in stages since September 2022. 

The 550m stretch of the connector along the south bank of Sungei Ulu Pandan near the land slip zone, as well as the north bank which will open in March, makes up 16 per cent of the park connector that will continue to be closed for public safety, said NParks.

On Sept 2, 2022,

a landslide in Clementi caused a massive amount of soil to be pushed

into the Ulu Pandan Canal, raising flood concerns, while a short portion of the park connector beside the site was left cracked and broken. A passer-by had minor injuries. 

The landslide happened near an almost completed Housing Board Build-To-Order (BTO) project.

In December, HDB said

repair works in the area were entering the third phase,

which is the main one, and were expected to be completed by the second half of 2023.

The third phase, which has begun, involves fully restoring the Ulu Pandan Canal, reinstating the damaged part of the Ulu Pandan Park Connector, and reconstructing the slope and precinct structures within the Clementi NorthArc BTO project, said HDB in December.

HDB added that since mid-November, it has conducted soil clearing operations and widened the canal back to its full surface width as at end-November. 

The first phase, which was completed last September, was to mitigate slope failure and flood risks.

The second phase was to stabilise the slope so that the third phase could be carried out safely.

This involved steel sheet piling works, which were completed in mid-November, and soil improvement works that are near completion.