Managing Granting of Permits for Road Works to Minimise Road Excavations and Disruption to Motorists

Mr Liang Eng Hwa asked the Acting Minister for Transport (a) whether the Ministry plans to review the basis, terms and governance by which permits are given for road works related to underground utility services; and (b) how effective are the regulations that ensure that (i) road excavations cause minimal disruption to motorists and avoid resource waste and (ii) the road surface and areas surrounding the worksite are properly reinstated.

Road works are carried out for a variety of reasons, such as to expand utilities to meet demand, to maintain existing utilities or to allow for construction of new MRT lines or road corridors. There are often multiple demands for works on the same roads, for different reasons and, sometimes, at different times.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) coordinates the scheduling of all planned road works to ensure that they are properly staggered and optimised. Work-commissioning agencies must obtain approval from LTA and other relevant agencies before commencing works. The permit system limits the duration of each road work to three weeks and charges a daily fee to incentivise agencies to complete road works expeditiously. To minimise the impact to motorists, road works are not allowed during traffic peak hours and road sections directly impacted by road works must be promptly reinstated daily for peak hours traffic. To keep motorists and stakeholders informed of road works, LTA requires agencies to provide advance notification to stakeholders prior to commencement of works. There could be unexpected road works, such as due to emergency repairs, which inadvertently affect the planned schedule. However, such instances are generally infrequent.

Upon completion of works, LTA requires the affected road to be permanently reinstated in accordance with the standards specified in LTA's Code of Practice for Works on Public Streets. Contractors must engage qualified personnel to supervise any road reinstatement and LTA conducts regular checks to ensure compliance.

This process aims to minimise road excavations, reduce the duration of disruptions to motorists and ensure timely supply of utilities.