 Site of the collapsed highway | |
| Date | 20 April 2004 |
|---|---|
| Time | 3:30 pm SST |
| Location | Nicoll Highway, Singapore |
| Coordinates | 1°18′9″N 103°51′57″E / 1.30250°N 103.86583°E |
| Type | Construction accident |
| Cause | Poorly designed strut-waler support system, leading to collapse of tunnel retaining wall and highway collapse |
| Deaths | 4 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 3 |
| Convicted | Nishimatsu (contracting company) and three officials. LTA qualified personnel |
| Sentence | Fined under the Factories Act and Building Control Act |
The Nicoll Highway collapse occurred in Singapore on 20 April 2004 at 3:30 pm local time when a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) tunnel construction site caved in, leading to the collapse of the Nicoll Highway near the Merdeka Bridge. Four workers were killed and three were injured, delaying the construction of the Circle Line (CCL).
The collapse was caused by a poorly designed strut-waler support system, a lack of monitoring and proper management of data caused by human error, organisational failures of the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and construction contractors Nishimatsu and Lum Chang. The Singapore Civil Defence Force extracted three bodies from the site but were unable to retrieve the last due to unstable soil. An inquiry was conducted by Singapore's Manpower Ministry from August 2004 to May 2005, after which three Nishimatsu engineers and an LTA officer were charged under the Factories Act and Building Control Act respectively, and all four defendants were fined. The contractors gave S$30,000 (US$20,000[1]) each to the families of the victims as unconditional compensation.
Following the incident, the collapsed site was refilled, and Nicoll Highway was rebuilt and reopened to traffic on 4 December 2004. Heng Yeow Pheow, an LTA foreman whose body was never recovered, was posthumously awarded the Pingat Keberanian (Medal of Valour) for helping his colleagues to safety ahead of himself. In response to inquiry reports, the LTA and the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) revised their construction safety measures so they were above industry standards. The CCL tunnels were realigned, with Nicoll Highway station rebuilt to the south of the original site underneath Republic Avenue. The station and tunnels opened on 17 April 2010, three years later than planned.