http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/sub/...40740,00.html?
Published June 17, 2011
Maplewoods residents want rail line launch shaft relocated
By TAM YU LING
INCONVENIENCES caused by the construction of the new Downtown Line have prompted residents of Maplewoods Condominium in Bukit Timah to sign a petition to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
The petition was signed by 65 per cent of the 697 households living in Maplewoods. It calls for a relocation of the launch shaft of the King Albert Park station. In addition, the signatories also requested the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to disclose the risk assessment survey for the King Albert Park station to the residents.
At a press conference yesterday, Maplewoods resident Michael Morris estimated that approximately '50,000 dump-truck trips will be needed to clear away all the tunnelling debris in the process of constructing the launch shaft'.
He expressed concern over safety issues due to the increase in vehicular traffic should construction of the tunnel launch shaft proceed as originally planned.
Mr Morris noted that the Sixth Avenue station in Downtown Line does not have any launch shaft construction site. He suggested that construction site for the launch shaft should be shifted there as 'there is far more land available around the Sixth Avenue station site for possibly situating the launch shaft site'.
To address the concerns of the residents, construction company Alpine-Bau GmbH and LTA have held meetings with the management council of Maplewoods. Holland-Bukit Timah MP Christopher de Souza also met the residents to listen to their concerns in the last meeting held on June 7.
After the meetings, both LTA and Mr de Souza proposed several solutions. However, all the proposed solutions were rejected by the residents as they felt they were not feasible.
'The solutions offered so far are 'band-aids' to the real problem (of construction of the launch shaft at Maplewoods entrance and exit),' said Tan Teng Muan, a Maplewoods resident.
When contacted by BT, an LTA spokesman said that LTA is committed to doing all it can to minimise the impact of the construction on residents living in Maplewoods. It is also working closely with Mr de Souza to address the residents' concerns to the best of its abilities, said LTA.
A moratorium has been declared on the construction of the launch shaft at the Maplewoods site until further notice.