Expressway Expected to Partially Reopen on 20 March After Fatal Collapse

[Georgealbert]

UPDATE

Picture courtesy of Matichon.

 

Authorities have been urgently dismantling the collapsed structure of the elevated road project, aiming to reopen the affected section by 20 March. The Council of Engineers is also scheduled to conduct an on-site inspection on 19 March, as part of the investigation, to determine the cause of the collapse.

 

At 22:30 on 18 March, Surachet Laophulsuk, Governor of the Expressway Authority of Thailand (EXAT), led an inspection team to assess progress on the dismantling efforts at the site, located near the Dao Khanong toll plaza.

 

Following the inspection, Surachet reported that significant progress had been made over the past four days, with continuous dismantling efforts allowing the site to be cleared more quickly than initially planned. The section leading to the Dao Khanong toll plaza is expected to be fully cleared by the afternoon of 19 March, including removal of debris, road resurfacing, and lane markings.

 

Despite the collapse, EXAT remains confident that traffic flow on the Chalerm Maha Nakhon Expressway at the Dao Khanong toll plaza can resume at 06:00 on 20 March, earlier than the originally scheduled reopening.

 

While the inbound toll plaza is expected to reopen soon, repairs to the outbound elevated road section that collapsed will continue and are estimated to take no more than 30 days, though EXAT hopes to complete the work even sooner.

 

In parallel, authorities are working on compensation for victims, including those injured and families of the deceased. EXAT has pledged to provide full compensation, with families of fatalities expected to receive more than 1 million baht.

 

As for the construction contractor, EXAT has suspended operations for 14 days and imposed a fine of 16 million baht per day. Investigations are ongoing, and if negligence is found, those responsible will face additional legal consequences.

Related article:

https://aseannow.com/topic/1354652-road-under-construction-collapses-on-rama-ii-road-multiple-workers-trapped/

 

 

-- 2025-03-19

 

[Tropicalevo]

48 minutes ago, Georgealbert said:

Despite the collapse, EXAT remains confident that traffic flow on the Chalerm Maha Nakhon Expressway at the Dao Khanong toll plaza can resume at 06:00 on 20 March, earlier than the originally scheduled reopening.

 

But for how long will it remain open before the next accident?