Demolition of Rochor Centre to begin on 26 June

It will give way to the construction of the North-South Corridor.

Singapore will say goodbye the iconic red, green, yellow, and blue HDB buildings in Rochor Centre as demolition starts on 26 June 2018 to give way to the construction of the North-South Corridor (NSC).

According to the Land Transport Authority (LTA), the demolition of the four residential blocks will commence from the top floors, with the structure progressively brought down floor-by-floor using machinery. The demolition is expected to complete by April 2019.

LTA previously said in a media reply dated 2012 that it had to acquire Rochor Centre as it produced “serious site constraints.”

“LTA had to consider not only the many buildings in close proximity to the roads, but the final alignment also had to take into consideration the five underground MRT stations that will ultimately be located there, namely the North-East Line/Downtown Line Little India stations, the Downtown Line Rochor station and the East-West Line/Downtown Line Bugis stations, as well as the Rochor Canal,” it added.

For the convenience of pedestrians during the works, temporary sheltered walkways have been erected at alternative routes around the site, LTA said. There are also clear signages at public access areas to redirect pedestrians.

LTA and its contractor have been engaging stakeholders and businesses in the vicinity on the upcoming works. “To minimise the impact of noise and dust affecting nearby stakeholders, LTA’s contractor has enclosed the work area with noise barriers and dust screens,” it said.

LTA added that a water spraying system will also be used to suppress airborne dust particles during the demolition. The contractor is also required to monitor and comply with the permissible noise level stipulated under the prevailing regulations.

Works to construct the section of NSC near Rochor Centre will follow after the completion of the demolition works and site preparatory works.