In order to bypass the debris and wreckage from the collapse in April last year that claimed four lives, Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) has accepted a proposal from contractors for a new tunnel alignment and change in methodology for the Circle Line MRT tunnels and station at Nicoll Highway, (T&TI, October 2004, p6).
As the civil works contractor for the Nicoll Highway and Boulevard Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) stations and adjacent tunnels, the joint venture between Nishimatsu Construction Co. Ltd. and Lum Chang Building Contractors Pte Ltd. (NLC) will also be the contractor for the reconstruction of the MRT tunnel and station at Nicoll Highway. NLC proposed a new alignment to the LTA that bypasses the collapsed area, which still contains debris and obstructions. The LTA announced its acceptance of the proposals on 4 February this year with the result that the Nicoll Highway MRT station will be built 100m south of its original location with 1.8km of extra MRT tunnels to its approach.
