No seawater leak in MCE: LTA

SINGAPORE — Vehicles were doused in water in the Marina Coastal Expressway (MCE) tunnel yesterday (April 13) after sprinklers were accidentally triggered, startling motorists, some of whom thought seawater was leaking into the underground tunnel.

The incident took place at around 12.15pm yesterday. Responding to netizens speculating that sea water was leaking into the tunnel, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) explained on Facebook that a contractor working in the tunnel had “accidentally triggered” a water-based firefighting system along a westbound stretch of the MCE after the exit to Central Boulevard. “There’s no fire, and there’s certainly no seawater leakage,” the authority said.

The system was immediately switched off, and normal traffic condition resumed thereafter.

The 5km MCE, which connects Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway and East Coast Parkway in the east to Ayer Rajah Expressway in the west, is the shortest expressway in Singapore. A 420m section runs beneath the seabed south of the Marina Barrage. At its deepest point, it runs about 25m below sea level.