Smooth traffic after Tanjong Katong Road South fully reopens following sinkhole incident
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Bus services 36 and 48 plied their usual routes after being diverted for the past week.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
Follow topic:
- Tanjong Katong Road South reopened on Aug 2 and 4 after a week-long closure due to a sinkhole incident.
- Residents are relieved as bus services 36 and 48 resume normal routes, shortening commutes and restoring convenience.
- Investigations into the sinkhole are under way by BCA and the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment.
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SINGAPORE – The stretch of Tanjong Katong Road South that had been closed for repairs after a sinkhole emerged there over a week ago was fully reopened on Aug 4.
When The Straits Times visited the site during morning peak hours from 8am to 10am on Aug 4, the traffic was calm and smooth.
Some works were taking place in the vicinity, including the laying of pipes along Amber Gardens near Tanjong Katong MRT station and other works on the slip road leading from Mountbatten Road to Tanjong Katong Road South.
The affected section of Tanjong Katong Road South had opened gradually, with the section from the ECP to Mountbatten Road opening at noon on Aug 2.
The opposite bound, where the sinkhole formed, opened from 5am on Aug 4.
Residents whom The Straits Times spoke to said they were happy that the affected road had reopened after it was closed for over a week.
Mr Ryzky Yuda, 36, who lives at a nearby condominium, said he was happy he could now return to his daily routine of taking bus service 36 to get to his workplace in Suntec City.
Bus services 36 and 48 were temporarily diverted during the road closure and skipped certain bus stops along their routes.
The information technology sales executive said that for the past week, he had to take the Thomson-East Coast Line from Tanjong Katong MRT station to Marina Bay station, before switching lines to get to Promenade station.
This journey took around 35 minutes, longer than his normal 15-minute bus ride.
Residents say they are happy the affected road has reopened after it was closed for about a week.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
Likewise, Ms Irene Gn, 69, said she was happy that the bus routes had been reinstated, after being affected by the temporary diversion of the bus services.
The retired sales manager had tried taking bus service 36 from the airport to her home without knowing that it would skip her stop in Tanjong Katong Road South. She ended up going to Suntec City and then taking the train back to Tanjong Katong.
She also stopped going to Orchard Road to run errands for the past week, as bus service 36 was not operating from the bus stop near her home in Amber Gardens due to the road diversion.
Mr Xie Shi Lin, 36, said he had to take a slightly longer route when he drove on weekends and after work on weekdays.
The information technology executive, who usually commutes to and from work via MRT, found it a little inconvenient that he had to exit the ECP from Marine Parade instead of Tanjong Katong whenever he drove in the past week.
But he added that the detour was not too bad.
On the reopening of the affected road, Mr Xie said: “The traffic looks fine now, so I’m quite happy to try it out.”
The sinkhole appeared in Tanjong Katong Road South
The driver was rescued by workers on site and taken conscious to hospital.
It was previously reported that she experienced muscular pains and was recovering in hospital as at July 29.
On July 27, the damaged car was hoisted out of the sinkhole
The sinkhole was refilled early on July 28 with liquefied stabilised soil, which is made of soil, cement and water. Works to test the ground were then carried out.
On July 29, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu apologised to the injured driver
The Building and Construction Authority will conduct an independent probe into the incident, while the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment will carry out an internal investigation.
