Oral Reply by Minister for Transport Khaw Boon Wan to Parliamentary Question on Coordination of Road Opening Works

Mr Leon Perera asked the Minister for Transport 

a.     how are excavation works to repair telecom cables, water pipes, sewage pipes and other underground works coordinated across agencies such that excavation work is minimised and shared across agencies to the fullest extent possible; and 

b.     whether the Government will consider tracking and publishing the instances when excavation works are undertaken at the same area multiple times within the same six-month period as a measure of the effectiveness of such co-ordination.

Reply by Minister for Transport Khaw Boon Wan:

1.     Road works are coordinated by the Road Opening Coordination Committee (ROCC), which comprises representatives from Government agencies, utility and telecommunications service providers. It is chaired by LTA. As far as possible, the ROCC schedules the work plans of the respective agencies to minimise inconvenience to commuters and residents. However, some works cannot be planned for, such as emergency repairs of cable faults or gas leaks. We will ask ROCC to consider publishing indicators of the effectiveness of their coordination efforts.