MRTA board decides not to dismantle Ratchayothin flyover

[webfact]

MRTA board decides not to dismantle Ratchayothin flyover



BANGKOK: -- The board of the Metropolitan Rapid Transit Authority has decided not to dismantle the Ratchayothin flyover in response to public concern that the dismantling of the flyover will cause traffic nightmare in and around the area thus affecting a lot of people.

General Yodyuth Bunyathikarn, the board chairman, said over the weekend that the board met to discuss complaints raised by many people that they would be hard hit by traffic woes if the MRTA goes ahead with dismantling the Ratchayothin flyover in order to facilitate the construction of the Northern Green Line rail project from Mor Chit through Sapan Mai to Khu Kot.

Under the original plan, the MRTA will build an underpass to replace the flyover at Ratchayothin.

General Yudyuth said that the board considered four options and finally opted for the second option which does not require the dismantling of the flyover but the height of the railroad infrastructure at Ratchayothin will have to be raised by two more metres from 16 to 18 metres.

He explained that the choice of this option means the flyover would be spared and there was no need to build the underpass which would take three years to complete at a total cost of about 1.2 billion baht.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/mrta-board-decides-not-to-dismantle-ratchayothin-flyover


-- Thai PBS 2015-07-06

[Crossy]

I was somewhat flummoxed when the original plan was announced, it was always going to be less disruptive (and possibly cheaper overall) to raise the railway over the existing structure.

I suspect it was down to cost, or more particularly where the cost was being paid from. Anyway, it seems common sense has prevailed.

[DLang]

The whole idea was a joke.