North-South Corridor delay: Businesses fear for survival, residents brace for more noise and dust

Some businesses in Novena say they are considering shutting down.

The construction site of the North-South Corridor opposite Royal Square Medical Centre at Novena on Sep 17, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Raydza Rahman)

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SINGAPORE: Businesses near North-South Corridor construction sites are fearing for their survival, while residents are bracing for more inconveniences, after the project's completion was delayed by two years.

From F&B outlets to laundry services, firms told CNA the delay would mean a longer period of disrupted earnings, footfall and visibility. Some are even considering shutting down.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced on Thursday (Sep 17) that the North-South Corridor will now open in phases starting from 2029 , instead of 2027 as originally planned.

At Novena, which LTA has called one of the most technically demanding sections of the project, Mr Alvin Lin, owner of Celine’s Gelato, said business has fallen by 75 per cent.

CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less The ice cream shop sits just in front of the construction hoardings opposite Church of St Alphonsus. It used to be open from 11am to 9.30pm, seven days a week, but has had to cut its hours and is now closed on Mondays. "Now it is very tough to sustain in the daytime ... We are unable to open on Monday because there are zero sales,” said Mr Lin.

The ice cream shop sits just in front of the construction hoardings opposite Church of St Alphonsus. It used to be open from 11am to 9.30pm, seven days a week, but has had to cut its hours and is now closed on Mondays.

"Now it is very tough to sustain in the daytime ... We are unable to open on Monday because there are zero sales,” said Mr Lin.

Alvin Lin, owner of Celine's Gelato who business have been greatly affected by the construction of the North-South Corridor at Novena Regency on Sep 17, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Raydza Rahman)

Three other businesses along the same stretch have closed since June, he said. New customers have been hard to attract because the shop is no longer visible from the main road, with regular customers assuming it had shut along with the rest of the street.

"They assume that the buildings here are all torn down and we are no longer around," he said.

Mr Lin said the shop had put up physical advertisements on the hoarding boards, but these were taken down. With rent having risen twice since 2021 and the lease up for renewal at the end of this year, Mr Lin said it is "not looking good".

"We are definitely worried, and we are hoping that the government will step in to assist us in some way or another," Mr Lin said.

Other businesses at Novena Regency, a mixed development, are facing similar struggles.

Ms Lim Shi Shi, owner of Mexican eatery El Cocinero, said business has fallen by 60 per cent since construction began, with tenants around her changing hands or leaving vacant units.

"You can see empty spaces, or they have been changing owners on and off. I don't think it's possible to do F&B here at the moment," she said, adding that the area now lacks prominent signage to draw customers.

Ms Lim, whose business has been around for seven years, had already been considering not renewing her lease. News of the extension reinforced that decision.

"I already wanted to leave the place because it's not doing well. So I don't want to fight this war anymore. But now that you say it's extending another two more years, you're giving me an assurance that I should not continue,” she said.

The construction site of the North-South Corridor along the shophouses at Novena Regency on Sep 17, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Raydza Rahman)

Food businesses are not the only ones affected.

Also at Novena Regency, Mr John Goh, who runs Urban Laundry, said business has fallen by about 30 per cent.

“The construction site is very inconvenient and the diversions keep changing, so people are very confused," the 60-year-old said.

Mr Goh recalled having to give a customer directions to the shop, but she became so confused by the diversions and eventually left without making it there.

With fewer walk-in customers, the business has been offering more pick-up and delivery services to retain regular customers. Mr Goh hopes the landlord will take the impact into account and hold off on rent increases.

"We hope the owner understands and would not keep increasing the rental, because our business is not good," he said.

FEARS FOR THE FUTURE

At Goldhill Shopping Centre, Mr Mike Mok of Chye Kee Goldhill Roasted Chicken Rice said his business has fallen by 25 to 30 per cent since construction started.

"I don't know how long I can survive,” he said.

About seven coffee shops in the area have closed down, leaving his – open for more than 26 years – as the only one remaining.

The construction site of the North-South Corridor near Goldhill Shopping Centre on Sep 17, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Charmaine Jacob)

Customers have complained of dust from the construction works, traffic congestion and blocked pathways that force them to take longer routes to the coffee shop.

Noise is one of the biggest issues, Mr Mok said. He has had to call the construction company's office during the lunch period, which accounts for much of the shop's takings, to ask for noisy works to be halted.

"Sometimes it's really too noisy ... Then they will send someone down to stop them,” said Mr Mok. "We only earn during the lunchtime ... just only a two-hour window.”

HEARTLAND BUSINESSES LESS AFFECTED

Businesses in the heartlands near Chong Pang in Yishun were less concerned about the extended timeline.

Ms Patricia Kua, owner of Hair Scent salon, said the dust is expected of such a major construction project.

Noise barriers along the road once reflected sunlight into shops like hers, blinding those inside, until shop owners raised the issue with LTA about a year ago and green canvas was put up to block the glare.

The construction site of the North-South Corridor along Sembawang Road near Chong Pang on Sep 17, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Syamil Sapari)

Her business relies mostly on returning regulars rather than walk-in customers, she said, and has not been much affected.

Madam Ong Ai Choo, who works at Kheng Huat General Construction, said it is business as usual at her renovation firm, as her shop sits behind the tall sound barriers along the main road.

“I thought it was going to finish already. Now need two more years,” she said. “I’ve been here for 40 over years. This is the first time I’m seeing changes of such an extent.”

Green canvas was put up to prevent reflection of sun rays on the noise barriers facing the flats at Sembawang Road near Chong Pang on Sep 17, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Syamil Sapari)

COPING WITH DUST AND NOISE

Residents near two affected sites, Braddell Hill and Chong Pang, also told CNA they are grappling with noise, dust and travel disruption.

At Braddell Hill, Ms Ella Baptista, who lives in a block directly facing the construction site, said her walk to Marymount MRT station has doubled from 10 to 20 minutes.

"Same with going down to Novena, for example. The added traffic because of the construction (will take us) five to 10 minutes more in the morning, which makes a difference especially if you're changing buses," said the 22-year-old teacher.

Two days ago, a network line serving the entire block was cut, leaving residents without Wi-Fi and taking hours to resolve. Dust from the construction site has also meant more cleaning at home, she added.

Another Braddell Hill resident, Lin Hui Fen, 41, also told CNA her home is "constantly" dusty, and that construction sometimes runs into the night, extending the noise

Residents living in Chong Pang facing the Sembawang Road work site also face the same issues

North-South Corridor construction site barriers along Braddell Hill residences on Sep 17, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Raydza Rahman)

View of the North-South Corridor taken from a resident's home at Braddell Hill on Sep 17, 2026. (Photo: CNA reader)

Long-time resident Mr Tay, who wanted to be known only by his surname, said the noise and dust can be severe, with works running late into the night.

The 70-year-old has resorted to covering his shoe rack and balcony window, which faces the construction site, with a plastic sheet.

His wife said workers sometimes shout to communicate, adding to the noise, and that spotlights used to light the site at night shine into their home.

Traffic along Sembawang Road also jams up due to lane diversions, Mr Tay said.

“I thought the work was going to be completed soon already. This is very frustrating.”

Mr Chew Ah Meng, who has lived in Chong Pang for about 20 years, said units facing the site bear the brunt of the disruption, citing metal clanking and the thump of piles being driven into the ground.

The only respite is on Sunday, when no work is done.

“They’ve been working on this for very long. Fortunately we are moving out at the end of this year,” said the 79-year-old.

His family listed their house for sale two months ago. There has been interest from buyers, though the ongoing construction remains a sticking point on price.

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诺维娜的一些商家表示正在考虑关门歇业。

2026年9月17日，位于诺维娜皇家广场医疗中心对面的南北走廊施工现场。（图片：CNA/Raydza Rahman）

这段音频由人工智能工具生成。

新加坡：由于南北走廊工程竣工延期两年，附近商户担心生存，居民也做好了迎接更多不便的准备。

从餐饮店到洗衣服务，各家公司告诉亚洲新闻台，此次延期意味着更长的时间里，收入、客流量和品牌知名度都将受到影响。一些公司甚至正在考虑关门歇业。

陆路交通管理局（LTA）于周四（9月17日）宣布，南北走廊将从2029年开始分阶段开放，而不是原计划的2027年。

陆路交通管理局称诺维娜是该项目技术要求最高的区域之一，Celine's Gelato 的老板林先生表示，该地的生意下降了 75%。

CNA游戏 猜词游戏 逐行破解单词 流行词游戏 用给定的字母组成单词 迷你数独 小谜题，大挑战 迷你填字游戏 小方格，大挑战 单词搜索 尽可能多地找出单词 显示更多 显示更少 这家冰淇淋店就位于圣阿尔方索教堂对面施工围挡的前面。它以前每周七天，从上午11点营业到晚上9点半，但现在不得不缩短营业时间，而且周一也关门了。“现在白天很难维持……我们周一没法开门，因为根本没生意，”林先生说。

这家冰淇淋店就位于圣阿尔方索教堂对面建筑围挡的前面。它以前每天上午11点到晚上9点半营业，一周七天无休，但现在不得不缩短营业时间，而且周一也不营业了。

林先生说：“现在白天很难维持营业……周一我们无法开门，因为销售额为零。”

2026年9月17日，诺维娜丽晶酒店（Novena Regency）的Celine's Gelato冰淇淋店老板林先生表示，由于南北走廊的建设，他的生意受到了很大影响。（图片：CNA/Raydza Rahman）

他说，自六月以来，这条街上的其他三家商铺也相继关门。由于店铺已从主干道上看不到，老顾客们都以为它也和其他店铺一样关门了，所以很难吸引新顾客。

他说：“他们以为这里的建筑物都已被拆除，我们已经不在了。”

林先生说，店铺曾在围挡板上张贴过广告，但都被撤掉了。由于租金自2021年以来已经上涨了两次，而且租约将于今年年底到期，林先生表示情况“不太乐观”。

林先生说：“我们当然很担心，希望政府能够以某种方式介入并帮助我们。”

诺维娜丽晶酒店（Novena Regency）是一个综合开发项目，其他企业也面临着类似的困境。

墨西哥餐馆 El Cocinero 的老板林诗诗女士表示，自施工开始以来，生意下降了 60%，她周围的租户要么易主，要么留下空置的店铺。

“你可以看到很多空置的店面，或者说这些店面一直在易主。我觉得目前在这里做餐饮生意不太现实，”她说道，并补充说，该地区现在缺乏醒目的招牌来吸引顾客。

林女士的生意已经营七年，她之前就已考虑不再续租。续租的消息更加坚定了她的决定。

“我本来就想离开这里，因为情况不好。所以我不想再打这场仗了。但现在你说要再延长两年，这等于是在向我保证我不应该继续下去，”她说。

2026年9月17日，诺维娜丽晶酒店沿街商铺的南北走廊施工现场。（图片：CNA/Raydza Rahman）

受影响的不仅仅是食品企业。

同样在诺维娜丽晶酒店，经营 Urban Laundry 洗衣店的 John Goh 先生表示，生意下降了约 30%。

“施工现场非常不方便，绕行路线不断变化，所以人们都很困惑，”这位60岁的老人说。

吴先生回忆说，他曾给一位顾客指路去商店，但她被绕路搞得晕头转向，最终没能到达目的地就离开了。

由于到店顾客减少，这家店增加了自取和送货服务以留住老顾客。吴先生希望房东能考虑到这种情况的影响，暂缓涨租。

他说：“我们希望房东能够理解，不要再涨租金了，因为我们的生意不好。”

对未来的担忧

金山购物中心的蔡记金山烤鸡饭老板莫先生表示，自施工开始以来，他的生意下降了25%至30%。

“我不知道自己还能活多久，”他说。

该地区约有七家咖啡店倒闭，只剩下他这家已营业超过 26 年的咖啡店了。

2026年9月17日，位于金山购物中心附近的南北走廊施工现场。（图片：CNA/Charmaine Jacob）

顾客们抱怨施工产生的灰尘、交通拥堵和道路堵塞，迫使他们绕远路前往咖啡店。

莫先生表示，噪音是最大的问题之一。他不得不在午餐时间（店铺大部分收入都来自这段时间）打电话给建筑公司，要求他们停止噪音大的施工。

“有时候真的太吵了……然后他们就会派人下来制止他们，”莫先生说。“我们只有午餐时间才能挣钱……只有短短两个小时。”

中西部企业受影响较小

义顺崇邦附近中心地带的商家对工期延长并不太在意。

Hair Scent 美发沙龙的老板 Patricia Kua 女士表示，如此大型的建筑项目会产生灰尘，这是意料之中的。

过去，道路两旁的隔音屏障会将阳光反射到像她这样的商店里，使店内的人视线受阻。直到大约一年前，店主们向陆路交通管理局提出了这个问题，之后才架起了绿色帆布来阻挡眩光。

2026年9月17日，位于崇邦附近三巴旺路沿线的南北走廊施工现场。（图片：CNA/Syamil Sapari）

她说，她的生意主要依靠回头客而不是散客，因此并没有受到太大影响。

在庆发综合建筑公司工作的翁爱珠女士表示，她的装修公司一切照常营业，因为她的店铺位于主干道旁高高的隔音屏障后面。

“我以为早就完工了，现在又要再等两年，”她说。“我在这里生活了四十多年，这是我第一次看到如此巨大的变化。”

2026年9月17日，在崇邦附近的三巴旺路，人们架起了绿色帆布，以防止阳光反射到面向公寓的隔音屏障上。（图片：CNA/Syamil Sapari）

应对灰尘和噪音

受影响的两个地点——布莱德尔山和崇邦附近的居民也告诉中央社，他们正在应对噪音、灰尘和交通中断的问题。

住在布莱德尔山，正对着建筑工地的艾拉·巴普蒂斯塔女士说，她步行到玛丽蒙地铁站的时间已经从 10 分钟增加到 20 分钟。

“比如去诺维娜也是一样。由于施工造成的交通拥堵，早上会多花五到十分钟，如果你要换乘公交车，那就更麻烦了，”这位22岁的教师说道。

两天前，覆盖整个街区的网络线路被切断，导致居民无法使用Wi-Fi，修复工作耗时数小时。她还补充说，建筑工地扬起的灰尘也意味着家里需要更频繁地打扫卫生。

另一位布莱德尔山居民，41岁的林慧芬也告诉中央社，她家“总是”尘土飞扬，而且施工有时会持续到深夜，噪音也随之而来。

居住在崇邦（Chong Pang）且面向三巴旺路（Sembawang Road）施工现场的居民也面临着同样的问题。

2026年9月17日，布莱德尔山住宅区沿线的南北走廊施工现场设置了围栏。（图片：CNA/Raydza Rahman）

2026年9月17日，一位居民在布莱德尔山家中拍摄的南北走廊景色。（照片：CNA读者提供）

长期居住于此的居民郑先生（他希望只透露自己的姓氏）表示，噪音和灰尘可能非常严重，而且工程经常持续到深夜。

这位 70 岁的老人只好用塑料布遮盖住鞋架和面向建筑工地的阳台窗户。

他的妻子说，工人们有时会大声喊叫交流，这加剧了噪音，而且晚上用来照亮工地的探照灯会照进他们的家中。

Tay先生表示，由于车道改道，三巴旺路沿线的交通也出现拥堵。

“我原以为这项工程很快就能完工了。这太令人沮丧了。”

在崇邦居住了约 20 年的周亚明先生表示，面向工地的住户受到的影响最大，他经常听到金属碰撞声和桩子打入地面的砰砰声。

唯一可以休息的日子是星期天，那天不用工作。

“他们为此努力了很久。幸运的是，我们将在今年年底搬出去，”这位79岁的老人说道。

他家两个月前挂牌出售了房子。虽然有买家表示了兴趣，但仍在进行的房屋修缮工程仍然是价格上的一个障碍。

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