Jalan Besar resident upset with loud construction noises past midnight

SINGAPORE: A woman took to TikTok recently with a video showing roadworks at Jalan Besar that she claimed were being carried out past midnight. She wondered if there was an emergency reason for the roadworks but did not seem to think so.

Jessica Nami, who posts as @jofwands on TikTok, posted on February 11 that the roadworks came as a surprise.

“Got a shock when I heard the drilling. It just happened. And the neighbours started scolding too. The time now is 12:11 a.m. as I’m posting this. Is there an emergency roadwork??? According to the NEA (National Environment Agency) website, drilling works within 150 meters of a housing estate is not allowed (from) 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.,” she wrote in the caption.

She tagged the TikTok accounts of the NEA and the Housing Development Board (HDB) in it as well.

In the text overlay on her video, she wrote, “Drilling roadworks at 12 am??”

@jofwands

Got a shock when I heard the drilling. It just happened. And the neighbours started scolding too. The time now is 12.11am as I’m posting this. Is there an emergency roadwork??? According to NEA website, drilling works within 150m of housing estate is not allowed after 10pm to 7am. @nea_sg @singaporehdb 📍 Larut Road / Kelantan Road

♬ original sound – Jessica Nami – Jessica Nami

The clip, which was taken from a higher floor of a nearby building, showed a lorry on a road with its hazard lights on. Around it were a number of workers, including one who was drilling a part of the road.

Her video has since been viewed over 84,000 times, and many TikTok users who have commented on it expressed sympathy for the post author.

One wrote that they understood she was “irritated,” but added that she has “no choice.” They also advised her to use earplugs to get to sleep.

Others noted that the type of work in the video is technically not drilling but hacking, which is to create small indentations, grooves, or a rough texture on a smooth concrete surface, which allows an additional layer to adhere better.

Another pointed out that this type of work at night is allowed when permits are issued, but added that there is a limit on noise levels.

“Construction work is permitted to be carried out after 7 p.m. on weekdays (except for public holidays), but it is subject to compliance with more stringent noise limits as compared to daytime (ie, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.). Contractors are to ensure that the noise levels generated at their worksite comply with the noise limits at all times, implementing the necessary noise mitigation measures,” the NEA website reads.

The Independent Singapore has reached out to the National Environmental Agency on the matter, but was told to redirect our query to the Land Transport Authority. We will update the story as we receive a response. /TISG

Read also: Marymount resident can’t sleep at night from construction noise; proves noise ‘way above-permitted level of 55dBA’