Thomson Rd building to be demolished to make way for North-South Corridor

SINGAPORE — A 57-year-old four-storey building along Thomson Road has been acquired by the government and will be demolished to make way for upcoming excavation works for the North-South Corridor (NSC).

The concrete strength of the 68-74 Thomson Road building, located about six metres away from the upcoming NSC tunnel excavation, was deemed to be lower than required to safely carry out works to strengthen its foundation for the excavation process.

These findings were determined after detailed tests conducted Land Transport Authority (LTA), said the LTA, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), and the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) in a joint media release on Friday (16 April).

Due to their invasive nature, the tests could only be conducted after the occupants of the building had vacated their units, the authorities said. The building has 12 residential units as well as four commercial units, with all of its occupants having had moved out by February.

In an independent inspection of the building in February, the BCA concurred with the assessment that the building "was safe for occupation if there was no major construction works in the vicinity", they added.

The BCA also concurred that it would be "impractical and risky" to carry out strengthening works on the building to withstand the excavation works for the NSC tunnel.

The SLA and the LTA will work closely with the affected owners and assist them through the acquisition process, the authorities added.

Construction of the 21.5km NSC, which will connect the northern region to the city, began in 2018.

Originally slated for completion in 2026, work on the corridor has been delayed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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