Balestier Road pedestrian bridge removed after accident left it in 'dangerous condition'

SINGAPORE - An overhead pedestrian bridge near 49 Balestier Road had to be removed early Saturday (July 22) morning, hours after the arm of an excavator smashed into it and left the structure in a "dangerous condition".

A 57-year-old driver and his 59-year-old employer have been arrested. The excavator was being transported on the back of a low-loader trailer, in the direction towards Thomson Road, when the accident took place around 9.30pm, according to photos and accounts posted on social media.

TODAY understands that the driver is Noor Khalam Bin Aman and his supervisor is Ng Boon Tong. 

The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said in a statement on Saturday (July 22) that its engineers who responded to the incident found the bridge to be in a "dangerous condition", adding: "The impact of the collision damaged the bridge, resulting in one end of the bridge beam being dislodged from the central support."

The entire bridge beam has since been removed, with the affected lanes reopened to traffic at 7.30am on Saturday.

"For their own safety, all pedestrians are strongly advised to avoid the bridge and use alternative signalised/pedestrian crossings provided in the vicinity to cross the road safely. Signs have also been put up on site to guide pedestrians," the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said in a Facebook post on Saturday.

(Photo from Christabel Seah's Facebook page)

The police said that the driver and his employer were arrested for causing a heavy motor vehicle to collide with an overhead bridge under the Road Traffic Act.

The driver's licence was also suspended immediately.

Nobody was injured in the incident, and investigations are ongoing, said the police.  Based on initial investigations, the bridge was damaged by the excavator, "which was not fully retracted while it was being transported on a lorry", said the LTA.