J107 - Pier casting commenced

 

17 November 2022 - The first pier for contract J107 has been partially
cast.

17 November 2022 - The first, partially cast pier & others under
construction along Jurong West Street 81.

GEK POH VILLE - A sleepy suburb in Jurong West, the quiet neighbourhood has recently seen a fair amount of upheaval with construction works for the Jurong Region Line (JRL) taking place along the median of one of the major, arterial roads serving the area. The future Gek Poh JRL station will sit just outside the Gek Poh Shopping Centre.

Works have been going on steadily for some time now and visible progress is evident. The contract has partially cast its first pier with the next round of rebar installation due soon. Once the next set of rebar is installed, the casting process can begin again. The rail viaducts sitting atop would roughly be 5 to 6 stories in the air.

17 November 2022 - A pier just north of the station having rebar installed.

17 November 2022 - Another pier at the northern end of Jurong West
Street 81 having rebar installed as well.

17 November 2022 - A view southwards along Jurong West Street 81.

17 November 2022 - Another view south along Jurong West Street 81,
the Gek Poh station site is visible in the midground.

17 November 2022 - A close up view of the piers along Jurong West
Street 81.

17 November 2022 - The construction decking being prepared for
the next phase of rebar installation for the contract's first pier.

Construction work is progressing well, with several piers in various stages of construction visible north of the station site. Once these piers are up and the crossheads cast, viaduct construction works should be able to commence.

Likewise, progress at the station site seems to mirror that of the piers. The northern end of the station appears to be at the most advanced stage as compared to the south. Rebar for the base of columns supporting the station building are visible, whereas to the south the foundation pile pits are still visible.

17 November 2022 - A view southwards along Jurong West Street 75,
the site for Gek Poh station.

17 November 2022 - Towards the northern end of the station, rebar is
visible for the piers that will support the station building.

17 November 2022 - Further south, the foundation pile pits are still visible.

17 November 2022 - A foundation pile pit.

Finally, the school buildings at the former Pioneer Primary School have been demolished and work is underway to prepare for pier construction. The demolition of the primary school has allowed for the viaduct to be located as far away as possible from the surrounding residential blocks - prior to this the plan was for the viaduct to curve around the school and weave in between the roads, school and residential blocks. Undoubtedly, noise enclosures would have been required and train running speeds might have been much reduced to keep noise levels to a minimum.

17 November 2022 - A close up view of the former Pioneer Primary
School site. The school buildings have since been demolished after the
school closed in 2021.

17 November 2022 - An aerial view of the former Pioneer Primary School
site, with the site for Tawas station visible in the background.

We look forward to the next stage of construction works - the construction of the line's viaducts - in the vicinity. As always, do stick around for more updates here as they become available. If you have pictures that you wish to share or contribute, do hit us up and we'll gladly feature you & give credit.

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