Plenty of Blame to Go Around As Singapore Probes Collapse 8/23/2004
Reopening of a Singapore highway closed when a tunnel excavation collapsed last April is expected by years end. But the facts found by a court of inquiry looking into the collapse are undermining the owners confidence in the design and construction team while shining an unflattering light upon the owners own project management.
The April 20 collapse of the Land Transport Authoritys Circle Line mass-rail-transport (MRT) tunnel excavation killed four workers and substantially damaged 100 meters of highway nearby (ENR 5/17 p. 12). A seven-stage recovery began in May with debris removal and the placement of foam concrete to displace the water that had seeped into the excavation. Stage 4 backfilling of the collapse site now is in progress by the joint venture of Tokyo-based Nishimatsu Construction Co. and Lum Chang Holdings (NLC), Singapore, the contractors responsible for the original excavation. Restoration and reconstruction by the same team will begin after the highway is reopened to traffic late this year.