Condo road caves in

A stretch of road near a condominium here sank 1.2m, resulting in an adjacent development project being ordered to stop work.

Penang Municipal Council president Tan Cheng Chui said the council has ordered Hunza Properties Bhd to halt all construction works for a 43-storey condominium in Kelawei Road here.

He said the developer should rectify the problem and also come up with a comprehensive report on the condition of the Gurney Park condominium where the 10m stretch of road sank.

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

“Until all rectification works are done, the developer and contractor cannot continue with the building project,” he said when met at the site yesterday.

The road next to the multi-storey car park of the Gurney Park condominium was cordoned off after it sank and cracked at about 8pm on Thursday.

Tan 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 the council to instruct the developer and contractors to monitor the situation over the next few days for fear it might worsen.

Hunza Properties Bhd group executive chairman Datuk Khor Teng Tong said the developer would assume full responsibility, adding that its consultants have 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 facilities.

“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 including the driveway of Gurney Park.



Its engineer, Tong Veng Wye, said an inspection showed Gurney Park buildings including the multi-storey car park next to the driveway were in no 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 the inspection report would be ready by Monday.

Khor said remedial works had begun on Thursday night.

“Remedial works are not expected to last longer than 10 days as work will be carried out around-the-clock.”

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.” - By Winnie Yeoh (The Star)