Metro

Saturday July 4, 2009

Construction halted after collapse of driveway

By WINNIE YEOH
Photo by CHARLES MARIASOOSAY


THE Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) has issued a stop-work order to Hunza Properties Bhd to halt all construction work for a super condominium project after a driveway sank 1.2m into the ground next to a 42-storey condominium on Kelawei Road.

MPPP president Tan Cheng Chui said the council had ordered the developer to rectify the problem and also come up with a comprehensive report on the condition of the Gurney Park condominium where a 10m stretch of the driveway had sunken in.

The driveway leading to the multi-storey carpark of the condominium was cordoned off after it sank and cracked at about 8pm on Thursday.

Cause for concern: A small crowd gathering to take a closer look at the sunken driveway at the Gurney Park condominium in Penang.

“They will also have to provide reasons and give a letter of guarantee that the building is safe.

“Until all rectification work is done on the damage, the developer and contractor cannot continue with the building project,” Tan said when met at the site yesterday.

He said he had received numerous reports from residents that construction work was carried out late into the night.

State Local Government and Traffic Management Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow urged MPPP to instruct the developer and contractors to carry out round the clock surveillance over the next few days for fear the condition might get worse.

Hunza Properties Bhd group executive chairman Datuk Khor Teng Tong said the developer would take full responsibility, adding that its consultant group had been instructed to handle the issue.

The Gurney Paragon’s East and West Towers, upon completion, will see two 43-storey buildings consisting of 240 units of service apartments. It also has a commercial podium and two basement parking storeys.

“We have identified the cause. The sheet piles that were used by the basement contractor to temporarily hold up the sides of the excavation gave way,” he said, adding that it led to the subsidence of the ground behind the sheet piles where the Gurney Park driveway is located.

Hunza engineer Tong Veng Wye said a thorough check showed there were no signs to show that Gurney Park buildings including the multi-storey car park adjacent to the driveway were in danger.

“We’ve inspected the main pillars and there is no tilting or serious cracks.

“Another fortunate thing is that Gurney Park has basement car parks and that means its foundation is more sturdy and the incident did not affect it,” he said, adding that inspection report will be ready by Monday.

Khor said remedial works were initiated on Thursday night by commencing backfilling of the excavation site.

“Remedial works are not expected to last longer than 10 days as work will be done around the clock,” he added.

Resident Stephen Abbott, 55, said he saw workers using sand to cover up the cracks.

“We’re concerned that the cracks and sunken road might cause more cracks and our multi-storey parking lots with the swimming pool on the fifth floor might cave in,” he said.

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