North-South Corridor delay: Higher costs likely, surface works will be prioritised, says Jeffrey Siow

[SINGAPORE] The Land Transport Authority (LTA) will prioritise the completion of surface construction works for the North-South Corridor (NSC) so that surface conditions can improve from 2027 onwards, said Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow. 

This comes after LTA announced in September that the NSC opening will be delayed by two years amid construction challenges, which has since “caused significant unhappiness” among residents, businesses and commuters affected by construction works, he told Parliament on Tuesday (Oct 6). 

Now, the revised plan is for the viaduct from Admiralty Road West to Lentor Avenue to open in phases from 2029, and the tunnel from Lentor Avenue to the East Coast Parkway to open in phases from 2031.

Responding to questions by various MPs on what will be done for residents and businesses, he said that concerns about noise, dust and disamenities are generally due to construction works on the surface. Changes to pedestrian routes or road access has also affected neighbourhood businesses’ customer traffic. 

Restoring access routes for pedestrians will be prioritised when surface works are completed, said Siow.

“We should be able to complete the most major structural works that create the most noise and dust by the end of 2027. Thereafter, LTA will reinstate roads, footpaths and other affected spaces from 2028 onwards,” said the minister.

For example, the surface for Lentor Avenue and Sembawang Road should be fully restored by mid-2028. 

Currently, to help affected businesses, LTA has installed signs and banners to help guide customers. The authority will also try to introduce more direct walking routes to shops and F&B establishments to make it easier for customers to reach businesses, said Siow. 

Higher costs and compensation

Several MPs also raised questions about the higher costs that will be incurred as a result of the project’s delay. The project was originally expected to cost S$7.47 billion.

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Siow replied that the delay will likely result in a “higher project cost”, although he was not able to provide an updated cost yet as LTA is still assessing the extent of permissible claims.

Several MPs also proposed providing additional financial support to affected businesses and residents.

Siow said that the government does not, as a general principle, compensate stakeholders for project delays, as doing so would add “significant costs upfront” to these projects because of the need for insurance coverage against multiple unknown scenarios.

He added, however, that LTA will “do what (it) can” to complete the project “as soon as possible”, and work with advisers to improve conditions. 

“After going through all possible options, LTA’s engineers have assessed that trying to compress the programme further with the known ground conditions would introduce significant additional safety risks,” he said.

“We will move as quickly as we safely can. But we will not rush the work, if doing so puts workers, residents or commuters at risk.”