SINGAPORE - Rochor Centre will be demolished gradually beginning next Tuesday (June 26), in preparation for the upcoming North-South Corridor, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA).
The iconic public housing estate's four residential blocks will be demolished floor by floor using machinery, with works starting at the top floors, said LTA on Wednesday.
The demolition is expected to be completed by April 2019, it added.
During the demolition works, pedestrians can use temporary sheltered walkways as alternative routes around the site. Signs have also been put up at public areas to redirect pedestrians.
Noise barriers and dust screens have also been put up around the site, to minimise noise and dust affecting residents and businesses nearby, said LTA.
A water spraying system will also be used to suppress airborne dust and particles during the demolition.
"The contractor is also required to monitor and comply with the permissible noise level stipulated under the prevailing regulations," added the authority.
The demolition will be carried out by contractor Aik Sun Demolition and Engineering, which was awarded a $1.81 million public tender for the works in September last year.
After the complete demolition of Rochor Centre and site preparatory works, construction works to build the North-South Corridor will follow, said LTA.
It added it will release more information on the tender award for construction works "in due course".
The estate sits on a 13,749 sq m site that has been earmarked for the upcoming North-South Corridor, a new expressway that will connect towns in the northern region to the city centre.
The expressway is slated for completion in 2026.
Rochor Centre is made up of four Housing Board blocks, each painted mainly in red, blue, yellow or green, and was one of the few remaining landmarks from 1970s Bugis, where sailors, and transvestites could be found before the area was developed further in the 1980s.
The residential and retail complex, originally home to 183 shops and 567 households, was completed in 1977.
Most of Rochor Centre's residents have since moved to Kallang Trivista, a Housing Board development in Upper Boon Keng Road that was fully completed in June 2016.
