Tuesday 28 April 2015

Sixth Avenue - Beam Launching


The beam launching works that are scheduled tonight for the new POB at the Sixth Avenue Station is testimonial to the C917A project team's commitment and efficiency towards a swift completion of the Downtown Line 2. The first truss segment, to be launched over Bukit Timah Road tonight, comes just less than 2 weeks after the twin columns were cast.

The second truss segment across the canal and Dunearn Road will be launched up next Tuesday (May 5).

April 30 - Beam launched over Bt Timah Road
May 8 - Beam launched over Dunearn Road

Monday 27 April 2015

Expo Bound Tunnel Completes

The last frontier of the 42km long Expo Bound tunnel for the entire Downtown Line have just been successfully broken through at Tampines West station. The TBM went through an arduous journey during its first drive towards Bedok Reservoir. 3 months of reassembly works were done at the Prison Shaft prior to the commencement of the second drive towards Tampines West. The breakthrough marks the retirement of the machine on the MRT project, as well as a complete linkage to the network of underground tunnels within the Downtown Line.


Tunnel Chart for DTL3, Apr 2015

Friday 24 April 2015

Tan Kah Kee - Beam Launching

The final concrete beam segments for the new POB at the Tan Kah Kee station were launched up over Bukit Timah Road in the wee hours of this morning. This concludes all beam launching works at the TKK station. Columns for the transition structure between the station entrance and the bridge are being cast at the moment.


Launched diagonal beam segments over Bt Timah Road
Render of the completed POB (Cr: Ong & Ong)

Thursday 16 April 2015

King Albert Park - Beam Launching

The beam for the new pedestrian overhead bridge (POB) linking both entrances of the King Albert Park station has successfully been launched yesterday. A single steel truss spans the across the length of both roads. The superstructure of Entrance B has begun to form up, while the main entrance has been cast up to the bridge mezzanine level.

Due to the inclined elevation of the existing temporary decked road above the canal, the clearance between the temporary Bukit Timah Road and the new bridge is estimated to be about 5m, with only about 500mm of clearance observed above a double decker bus. While this is within the legal 4.5m limit, temporary height precaution barriers have been installed by the project team along Blackmore Drive and Bukit Timah Road prior to the POB.

Mined excavation of the tunnel linking the station to the ventilation building across Dunearn Road had recently been completed by the MacDow team. Formwork for the ventilation building superstructure has commenced, and the gantry crane is expected to be demobilized in the coming weeks. The reinstatement of Bukit Timah Road is scheduled by year end.


April 16

Monday 13 April 2015

Turf Club Road Realigns

The realignment of Turf Club Road under ER461 was successfully completed and opened on Saturday morning. The realigned road now makes way for the subsequent reinstatement and completion of the Sixth Avenue station's entrance B - within which escalators have just been installed.

Along Bukit Timah Road, piling works have commenced on the POB's intermediate column that will surface along the canal bank. Beam launching works should take place by the end of this quarter once the column is cast.  The truss for the POB are being fabricated in 2 segments at the moment. The north segment is being fabricated at Entrance B and will be launched up over Dunearn Road. The south segment is being done up over at the main site and will be launched across Bukit Timah Road.

Casting of the ventilation building and entrance is almost completed, while backfilling has started over the station roof slab.


Piling works for the POB column (April 6)
Realigned Turf Club Road (April 13)

Saturday 11 April 2015

Bukit Panjang - Flyover Opening


The Bukit Panjang Flyover is finally completed and will be operational from tomorrow. The new 2-lane flyover will be provide seamless transition between Woodlands Road and Upper Bukit Timah Road, bypassing the existing cross intersection. A community stroll was organized for residents in the vicinity on the new flyover earlier this morning.

Photos below were collectively taken by my co-blog author over the past week as the final touches such as surfacing, lane markings, installation of barriers on the flyover, as well as beam launching works for the POB at Junction 10 were being done up.


Mass walk by residents along the new Flyover this morning (April 11)

Monday 6 April 2015

Final TBM Launch

The last Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) for the 42km Downtown Line has launched from the Prison Shaft today. The 6670mm STEC EPBM will spend the next 2.5 months boring the 350m Bukit Panjang bound tunnel towards Tampines West Station, with the final breakthrough scheduled in June.

It's sister Expo bound machine is currently about 75% through the tunnel excavation and should arrive at Tampines West in 2 weeks time.

Wednesday 1 April 2015

Watten Estate - Beam Launching

Beam launching works for the POB at Tan Kah Kee were carried out last week. The concrete beams for the segments across the canal and Dunearn Road have been launched. On the bukit timah side, the final 2 intermediate columns for the bridge had just been cast. The road is preparing to be permanently realigned with workers preparing the formwork for the box culvert. The final beam segment across Bukit Timah Road will be launched in about June.


April 1 - Cast of the final 2 columns along Bukit Timah Road. Reinstatement works are underway
April 1 - Beam segments launched over Dunearn Road