Cables dislodged & dangling from ceiling of CTE tunnel after accident involving lorry
On Friday (8 Nov), a lorry with a tall boom struck the ceiling of the Central Expressway (CTE) tunnel at the Cairnhill Circle entrance.
Photos circulated over Telegram show that the accident caused cables to become dislodged from the ceiling of the tunnel.
A stationary yellow lorry was also seen on the slip road.
Source: SGRoad Blocks / Traffic News on Telegram
Vehicle drive past lorry amid dangling cables in CTE tunnel
Another video posted on TikTok, taken from a vehicle travelling through the tunnel after the accident, showed the lane guidance lights flickering as vehicles drove slowly through the dangling cables.
Source: @limkimleng on TikTok
The cars passed by the yellow lorry, which was in the left lane with its hazard lights on.
The user who posted the clip said it was taken on Friday (8 Nov).
CTE tunnel entrance closed
Other photos on Telegram showed that the tunnel entrance had been closed off, with police officers and workers at the scene.
Source: SGRoad Blocks / Traffic News on Telegram
The Land Transport Authority’s (LTA’s) traffic news account on X first warned motorists about the accident at 12.05pm.
Source: @LTAtrafficnews on X
At 12.17pm, it said that the Cairnhill Circle entrance had been closed.
Source: @LTAtrafficnews on X
According to a Telegram user who posted at 7.25pm, the tunnel entrance was still closed as night fell, with the electronic sign saying that “urgent works” were being carried out.
Source: SGRoad Blocks / Traffic News on Telegram
Video shows lorry scraping CTE tunnel ceiling
A video posted on Facebook by SG Road Vigilante on Friday night showed how the accident occurred.
It followed the yellow lorry, which had a tall boom sticking out from the top of the vehicle, as it drove along Cairnhill Circle.
Source: SG Road Vigilante on Facebook
As it headed towards the CTE, its boom clipped the branch of a tree.
Source: SG Road Vigilante on Facebook
It then knocked the height restriction gantry as it passed under it.
Source: SG Road Vigilante on Facebook
Soon after it entered the tunnel, a loud scraping sound was heard as debris came down from the ceiling.
Source: SG Road Vigilante on Facebook
55-year-old lorry driver arrested
In response to queries from MS News, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said it was alerted to an accident at about 12.05pm on 8 Nov.
It involved a lorry along the CTE in the direction towards the Seletar Expressway (SLE), it added.
A 55-year-old male lorry driver was arrested for “driving a heavy motor vehicle with exceeded overall height of 4.5m without being escorted by a police officer or an auxiliary police officer”.
No injuries were reported and police investigations are ongoing.
No structural damage to tunnel: LTA
LTA told The Straits Times that the accident damaged some electrical and mechanical equipment in the ceiling, but caused no structural damage.
Recovery works are ongoing, LTA added.
According to LTA’s road tunnel safety guide, vehicles taller than 4.5m are not permitted inside all tunnels in Singapore except for the Sentosa Gateway Tunnel, which has a lower height limit of 3.5m.
Also read: Parts of ceiling fall off inside CTE tunnel near Havelock Road, causes traffic jam
Parts of ceiling fall off inside CTE tunnel near Havelock Road, causes traffic jam
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Featured image adapted from SGRoad Blocks / Traffic News on Telegram.
