mr funny
18-07-11, 20:28
http://www.straitstimes.com/Singapore/Story/STIStory_691801.html
Jul 18, 2011
No pain, no gain, say those living near MRT worksites
Residents say short-term inconvenience is worth it as they reap the benefits later
By Royston Sim
FOR about seven years, Madam Julie Foo had to put up with noise and dust during the construction of the Circle Line's Mountbatten Station, sited right in front of her HDB block at Old Airport Road.
A deep hole measuring 25m on all sides was dug less than 20m from the block. Called a launch shaft, the hole was put in to allow boring machines to drill a tunnel from Mountbatten Station to Dakota Station.
Madam Foo's view was marred by the sight of all those construction machines, and when work took place at night, she had trouble sleeping.
'It was difficult at first because of the dust and noise, but I thought it was worth putting up with these things short term so we could benefit in the long term,' said the 48-year-old an assistant manager.
In 2009, the station was completed and the machines removed. The noise and dust are now just a memory.
She said her flat, which she bought for $330,000, has shot up in value to about $750,000. 'I can walk to the MRT station in less than five minutes,' she added.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has used launch shafts for every underground MRT project since the 1980s.
Engineers plan for one launch shaft between every two stations so tunnelling works can take place concurrently to expedite the construction process.
The shafts hit the spotlight recently when residents of Maplewoods condominium protested against having one sited outside their compound as part of the MRT works for Downtown Line 2.
Work on the King Albert Park Station site outside the Bukit Timah Road condo was halted last month after residents voiced their concerns. Among other things, they said trucks carting debris away from the tunnelling works would endanger both pedestrians and vehicles passing by.
They questioned why LTA had not sited the station at Sixth Avenue instead. They later came up with their own proposal - to have tunnelling run from Tan Kah Kee Station outside Hwa Chong Institution to King Albert Park Station. Then, launch shafts would not be needed outside their condo or at Sixth Avenue, they argued.
However, at a dialogue last Wednesday, MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC Vivian Balakrishnan said work on the line would have to resume, after having been delayed for a month.
He said LTA had addressed the safety issues raised, through measures such as building a pedestrian footpath along the work site and relocating the entrance for trucks to nearby Blackmore Drive.
As for the residents' tunnelling proposal, LTA engineers said such a move would be unfeasible as it would delay the entire Downtown Line 2 project, due to be completed in 2015.
Residents who have lived near MRT construction sites say some inconvenience is inevitable.
Housewife Jane Tan, whose HDB block at Old Airport Road was just 9m from the Circle Line's Dakota Station site, recalled the roadworks and bus diversions. A trench 190m long, 30m wide and 18m deep was dug, and part of Old Airport Road was closed to traffic in 2006, so cars and public buses had to be diverted.
'There was quite a bit of noise and dust, but it was bearable,' the 55-year-old housewife recalled. 'I was afraid the works would affect the foundations of my block since they were so close. The ground sank a bit, but LTA came to touch it up.'
Residents near the Circle Line's Marymount Station had stories to tell as well. LTA encountered hard rock granite while tunnelling, so it had to resort to blasting. Residents had to endure the vibrations and the noise for more than six months.
In 2003, residents of Chuan Park in Lorong Chuan discovered that the Singapore Land Authority would be acquiring 220 sq m of land from their compound to build Lorong Chuan Station. When work began, they had to put up with noise, multiple road diversions and a temporary realignment of the condo's exit.
But to most, the inconvenience was worth it in the end.
Mr Chan Chee Keong, 68, the council chairman for Chuan Park condo, said residents there were happy that their estate had appreciated in value.
'It is worth your while to bear the pain,' he said. 'You cannot get something for nothing.'
At other condos in Bukit Timah, some residents said they too had been forced to live with certain inconveniences, even though they had not been as badly affected as residents at Maplewoods.
Still, general practitioner Sharon Yeo, 43, who lives at nearby Casa Esperanza, said: 'We have to be realistic. If we want an MRT station, we must expect some inconveniences.'
As for Maplewoods residents, the outcome of their campaign has been bitter-sweet for some.
Management consultant Steve Chu, 52, felt that LTA should have been 'a lot more forthcoming' about its planning process from the start.
'Now we have solutions, but the battle was won in a bitter-sweet fashion,' he said.
In contrast, IT consultant C.A. Chua, 38, was quite satisfied with the outcome and felt that LTA had done its part in considering residents' suggestions.
She said: 'In the end, the station will bring benefits to the residents.'
[email protected]
Additional reporting by Jamie Ee Wen Wei
Jul 18, 2011
No pain, no gain, say those living near MRT worksites
Residents say short-term inconvenience is worth it as they reap the benefits later
By Royston Sim
FOR about seven years, Madam Julie Foo had to put up with noise and dust during the construction of the Circle Line's Mountbatten Station, sited right in front of her HDB block at Old Airport Road.
A deep hole measuring 25m on all sides was dug less than 20m from the block. Called a launch shaft, the hole was put in to allow boring machines to drill a tunnel from Mountbatten Station to Dakota Station.
Madam Foo's view was marred by the sight of all those construction machines, and when work took place at night, she had trouble sleeping.
'It was difficult at first because of the dust and noise, but I thought it was worth putting up with these things short term so we could benefit in the long term,' said the 48-year-old an assistant manager.
In 2009, the station was completed and the machines removed. The noise and dust are now just a memory.
She said her flat, which she bought for $330,000, has shot up in value to about $750,000. 'I can walk to the MRT station in less than five minutes,' she added.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has used launch shafts for every underground MRT project since the 1980s.
Engineers plan for one launch shaft between every two stations so tunnelling works can take place concurrently to expedite the construction process.
The shafts hit the spotlight recently when residents of Maplewoods condominium protested against having one sited outside their compound as part of the MRT works for Downtown Line 2.
Work on the King Albert Park Station site outside the Bukit Timah Road condo was halted last month after residents voiced their concerns. Among other things, they said trucks carting debris away from the tunnelling works would endanger both pedestrians and vehicles passing by.
They questioned why LTA had not sited the station at Sixth Avenue instead. They later came up with their own proposal - to have tunnelling run from Tan Kah Kee Station outside Hwa Chong Institution to King Albert Park Station. Then, launch shafts would not be needed outside their condo or at Sixth Avenue, they argued.
However, at a dialogue last Wednesday, MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC Vivian Balakrishnan said work on the line would have to resume, after having been delayed for a month.
He said LTA had addressed the safety issues raised, through measures such as building a pedestrian footpath along the work site and relocating the entrance for trucks to nearby Blackmore Drive.
As for the residents' tunnelling proposal, LTA engineers said such a move would be unfeasible as it would delay the entire Downtown Line 2 project, due to be completed in 2015.
Residents who have lived near MRT construction sites say some inconvenience is inevitable.
Housewife Jane Tan, whose HDB block at Old Airport Road was just 9m from the Circle Line's Dakota Station site, recalled the roadworks and bus diversions. A trench 190m long, 30m wide and 18m deep was dug, and part of Old Airport Road was closed to traffic in 2006, so cars and public buses had to be diverted.
'There was quite a bit of noise and dust, but it was bearable,' the 55-year-old housewife recalled. 'I was afraid the works would affect the foundations of my block since they were so close. The ground sank a bit, but LTA came to touch it up.'
Residents near the Circle Line's Marymount Station had stories to tell as well. LTA encountered hard rock granite while tunnelling, so it had to resort to blasting. Residents had to endure the vibrations and the noise for more than six months.
In 2003, residents of Chuan Park in Lorong Chuan discovered that the Singapore Land Authority would be acquiring 220 sq m of land from their compound to build Lorong Chuan Station. When work began, they had to put up with noise, multiple road diversions and a temporary realignment of the condo's exit.
But to most, the inconvenience was worth it in the end.
Mr Chan Chee Keong, 68, the council chairman for Chuan Park condo, said residents there were happy that their estate had appreciated in value.
'It is worth your while to bear the pain,' he said. 'You cannot get something for nothing.'
At other condos in Bukit Timah, some residents said they too had been forced to live with certain inconveniences, even though they had not been as badly affected as residents at Maplewoods.
Still, general practitioner Sharon Yeo, 43, who lives at nearby Casa Esperanza, said: 'We have to be realistic. If we want an MRT station, we must expect some inconveniences.'
As for Maplewoods residents, the outcome of their campaign has been bitter-sweet for some.
Management consultant Steve Chu, 52, felt that LTA should have been 'a lot more forthcoming' about its planning process from the start.
'Now we have solutions, but the battle was won in a bitter-sweet fashion,' he said.
In contrast, IT consultant C.A. Chua, 38, was quite satisfied with the outcome and felt that LTA had done its part in considering residents' suggestions.
She said: 'In the end, the station will bring benefits to the residents.'
[email protected]
Additional reporting by Jamie Ee Wen Wei