Downtown Line 3 taking shape as Singapore River diversion is almost complete

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has announced that the most challenging portion of building the new MRT Downtown Line 3, which involved the diversion of the Singapore River, twice, is almost over. Tunnelling works under the river between the Chinatown and Bencoolen stations will be completed by the end of 2014 and work to restore the original flow of the waterway should finish by next year.

The task of diverting the river began over two years ago, when a section near Riverside Point was rechannelled. The engineering work included demolishing parts of the old river embankment while building a series of dams, hardening the soil for tunnelling, and excavating a new canal 40m wide, 100m long and 7m deep.

The redirected river came within half a car's length of the ceiling of the Central Expressway (CTE) tunnel nearby. LTA Project Director, Mr. Chang told The Straits Times that none of the 200 monitors installed in the CTE to detect structural movements had triggered an alarm. The unusual construction method was necessary because the proximity of the CTE ruled out other methods.

The river had to be reinstated to its original path as a plot on its west bank - through which the redirected river flowed - was set for redevelopment.

Downtown Line 3, connects towns like Kallang Bahru, Aljunied, Bedok and Tampines and is part of an ambitious framework to increase the rail network to 360km by 2030. Downtown Line 3 tunnelling is close to 90 percent done, while stations are close to 75 percent completed reported the English daily.

Downtown Line 2, linking Bukit Panjang to Rochor, is slated for completion by the first quarter of 2016 with civil works complete and commencement of electrical and mechanical works.