J107 - Gek Poh & Tawas update Q2 2024

A view of contract J107 stations at Gek Poh and Tawas in end-Q2.

Advances in the progress of Gek Poh and Tawas stations were seen over Q2 of the year. At Gek Poh station, the concourse was largely completed while over at Tawas, the platform level beams were coming along well. Viaduct progress along contract J107 was also making headway, with viaduct spans stretching longer and longer through the quarter. Join us as we dive into the progress update for the contract over the second quarter of 2024.

JW1 - Gek Poh
Once a sleepy neighbourhood nestled in north-western Jurong West, the main thoroughfare of Jurong West Street 75 has been a hive of activity since the Jurong Region Line (JRL) brought construction work along. Over Q2, the station has began to take shape with the concourse level being mostly completed.

13 April 2024 - An aerial view of Gek Poh station looking west in early-Q2.

23 May 2024 - An aerial view of Gek Poh station looking west in midy-Q2.

23 June 2024 - An aerial view of Gek Poh station looking west in end-Q2.

To construct the concourse level, precast arms were added to the station pier columns constructed in the median of Jurong West Street 75. Precast beams were then placed between the arms to form a deck, upon which an additional layer of rebar was added and topped off with concrete to form a slab. With the slab mostly completed within the quarter, work could then begin on constructing the pier columns in the centre of the station. These columns will be all that supports the platform level, offering an otherwise column-free space within which the station facilities can be sited.

13 April 2024 - An aerial view of the northern end of the station concourse in early-Q2. Rebar
installation work was beginning for the pier crosshead at the north end of the station that would
allow the viaduct span to connect to the station building.

23 May 2024 - An aerial view of the northern end of the station concourse in mid-Q2. Casting was
now underway for the station's northern pier crosshead.

23 June 2024 - An aerial view of the northern end of the station concourse in end-Q2. With the
station's northern pier crosshead now cast, work began on construction of the subsequent pier
crossheads as well. A similar method is used where arms will be added on later to support the
platform level alongside the trackbed.

13 April 2024 - An aerial view of the station concourse looking southwards, in early-Q2. The
installation of the final few precast arms at concourse level can be seen taking place. Several of
the precast beams that would form the concourse slab can also be seen. At this point, the pier
columns were still mere rebar rods sticking out of the concourse slab.

23 May 2024 - An aerial view of the station concourse looking southwards, in mid-Q2. With all
the precast arms installed at concourse level, work soon followed with the installation of the
precast beams that would bridge the gaps between the arms. With the concrete slab cast, work
also began on building up the pier columns before the crossheads would be cast.

23 June 2024 - An aerial view of the station concourse looking southwards, in end-Q2. As the
pier columns took shape, having completed casting, work began on the installation of the supporting
scaffolding before work could commence on the crossheads.

With work on the station building well under way, construction of the viaducts had to keep up as well. All along Jurong West Street 75, viaduct piers and spans at different stages of completion could be seen. But by the end of the quarter, significant progress was made with viaduct pier crossheads mostly cast for piers south of the station. The section north of Gek Poh station will be covered together with Tawas station further down.

13 April 2024 - A view northwards along Jurong West Street 75 in early-Q2. Falsework (in red) was
being set up ahead of crosshead construction for several piers near the junction with Jurong West
Street 74. Rebar for another pier at the junction with Jurong West Street 73 can be seen at the bottom.

23 May 2024 - A view northwards along Jurong West Street 75 in mid-Q2. Casting was underway
for one of the viaduct pier's crosshead near the junction of Jurong West Street 74. The pier at the
junction with Jurong West Street 73 could now be seen fully cast.

23 June 2024 - A view southwards from Gek Poh station showing some of the progress since
mid-Q2.

13 April 2024 - An aerial view of the southern portion of contract J107, near the contract boundary,
as of early-Q2. Viaduct segment launching had seen the starter segments launched from one of the
portal piers while falsework was being set up for another.

23 May 2024 - An aerial view of the southern portion of contract J107, near the contract boundary,
as of mid-Q2. The stretch of launched viaduct segments was now significantly longer than in
early-Q2. Rebar installation was also underway for the subsequent portal pier.

23 June 2024 - A close up view of the viaduct piers along Jurong West Street 75, seen southwards
from the Gek Poh station site.

23 June 2024  - An aerial view of the southern portion of contract J107, near the contract boundary,
as of end-Q2. The portal pier near Westwood Primary School was now being cast.

JW2 - Tawas
Contract J107 also includes the construction of viaducts along Jurong West Street 81, across the Pan Island Expressway (PIE) and into Nanyang Technological University (NTU). This section also includes the Tawas station, located just outside the NTU campus. Progress of the station is a little harder to make out when viewed from the southern side of the PIE. 

13 April 2024 - An aerial view of the PIE crossing with Tawas station further in the background as
seen in early-Q2.

23 June 2024 - An aerial view of the PIE crossing with Tawas station further in the background as
seen in end-Q2.

13 April 2024 - A close up view of the Tawas station as seen in early-Q2.

23 June 2024 - A close up view of the Tawas station as seen in end-Q2.

Nonetheless, from alternative views, it appears that work through the quarter saw the addition of the platform level arms. The arms appear to have been added through a cast in-situ (cast in place) method, as opposed to the use of prefabricated segments similar to those used at Gek Poh station for its concourse level.

13 April 2024 - A view of the Tawas station from the station's southwest in early-Q2.

13 April 2024 - A close up view of the ongoing work to construct the platform level arms & beams.

13 April 2024 - A view of the station's northern end & viaducts and piers north of the station.

16 May 2024 - A view of the progress of the station's platform level works in mid-Q2.

16 May 2024

16 May 2024 - A view of the completed casting work, showing the central beam between the
trackways and platform level pier arms.

16 May 2024 - A view of the station's northern end, looking southwards in mid-Q2.

16 May 2024 - Construction of the portal pier is about complete as of mid-Q2.

Besides the station works, another major milestone within the past quarter would be the commencement of the special long-span crossing over the PIE. Initially, a large crawler crane was used to lift the initial segments into place on the southern side of the expressway. Over the course of the quarter, these transitioned to the use of lifting frames.

13 April 2024 - A view of the large crawler crane on site, south of the PIE, in early-Q2.

13 April 2024 - A close up view of the viaduct pier with initial starter segments lifted into place.

13 April 2024 - A view of the viaduct span under construction from street level.

13 April 2024 - A view northwards along Jurong West Street 81, with the long span pier visible
in the background.

13 April 2024 - Assembly of the trestle structure along Jurong West Street 81 for launching of the
viaduct segments near the movement & expansion joint pier.

13 April 2024 - An aerial view of the PIE special long-span crossing site in early-Q2.

23 June 2024 - An aerial view of the PIE special long-span crossing site in end-Q2. The viaduct
pier on the northern side of the expressway was beginning to emerge.

23 June 2024 - A view of the viaduct pier with one of the two lifting frames sat atop the
completed viaduct sections.

23 June 2024 - The second lifting frame sits on the ground level, waiting to be lifted up. The
area behind the piers, next to the One World International School has been concreted over.

23 June 2024 - Installation of viaduct segments using the trestle method at one of the
movement & expansion joints.

23 June 2024 - An aerial view of the completed viaduct spans running southwards to Jurong
West Street 81.

23 June 2024 - Completed viaduct spans seen from street level.

23 June 2024 A view of the trestle structure being set up on the northern end of the movement &
expansion joint pier along Jurong West Street 81.

We're excited to see the progress made over at contract J107 through the course of the second quarter of 2024. As work continues to progress through the remainder of 2024, we look forward to the next milestones being achieved which should see the beginning of parapet wall installation and the commencement of platform level works for Gek Poh station. Be sure to follow along as we bring you the periodic updates.

This post will also be available on Instagram & Facebook on 14 August 2024.