SINGAPORE: The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has reached an agreement to terminate its contract with Or Kim Peow (OKP) Contractors to build the Pan Island Expressway (PIE) viaduct that collapsed last year, said Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan on Monday (Jul 9).
In his written reply to a parliamentary question by Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) Dennis Tan, Mr Khaw said besides terminating the contract, LTA will also recover the appropriate costs from the construction company.
AdvertisementHe added that the agency will engage a new contractor to complete the construction of the viaduct from Tampines Expressway (TPE) towards PIE (Tuas) and Upper Changi Road East, as well as the rectification of any structures which are deemed unsafe by the independent Professional Engineer.
"The project timeline and completion date will be reviewed, after the award of the new contract," Mr Khaw said. The project was scheduled for completion in 2020.
In a separate press release on the same day, LTA said it will call for a replacement tender later this month, and plans to award the contract by the fourth quarter of this year. The indicative completion date for the project is the first half of 2022, it added.
The incomplete viaduct collapsed on Jul 14 last year, causing the death of Chinese national Chen Yinchuan who was one of 11 workers on top of the structure before the incident. Another three Chinese, one Indian and six Bangladeshi workers were injured too.
AdvertisementAdvertisementA multi-agency probe into the collapse found that corbels - brackets that help support beams - had given way. Cracks were also found in the areas supporting 11 other parts of the viaduct.
In May this year, OKP Contractors and five individuals - including executive director Or Toh Wat - were charged under the Building Control and the Workplace, Safety and Health Acts for their roles in the incident.
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