The construction of an overpass over the Na Ranong intersection in Klong Toey district is expected to be completed early next month, said Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt.
An agreement was inked in 2018 to complete the overpass by 2021. However, it was hit by delays, including stoppages caused by Covid-19.
The Bangkok Post asked Mr Chadchart about the delay. He said he had “followed up on the progress of the project since assuming the position of governor.
“So far, I’ve learnt the delay was caused by a technical issue [involving] construction engineering and the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.
“I’ve already instructed the Department of Public Works to expedite construction [so the overpass] can open by June 1,” he said.
Tawatchai Napasaksri, director-general of the Department of Public Works, said construction is 91% complete.
The only work that remains includes painting traffic lines and installing fences. Construction is expected to finish by June 1 as instructed by Mr Chadchart, he said.
“The Bangkok governor may not have chaired the opening ceremony of the bridge, but he may come to check surrounding traffic conditions,” Mr Tawatchai said.
“On the first day, the overpass will open in the early morning, while it will close temporarily overnight for minor works for about a month,” he said.
The department signed a contract with Sahakarn Wisavakorn Co Ltd on Sept 25, 2018, agreeing that construction would finish by Nov 11, 2021, with a budget of 1.34 trillion baht.
A 20-year-old overpass from the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre, along Ratchadaphisek Road, crossing the Na Ranong intersection and ending at Rama III near Penang Market has been demolished to make way for the new overpass.
The department has also asked the company to expand the four-lane overpass from the market to Nonsiwitthaya School from 1.95km to 2.65km.
An overpass crossing a railway track on Chuea Phloeng Road was also demolished and rebuilt on both sides of the road, with two lanes in each direction, while the descending section crossing the Na Ranong intersection was rebuilt near the Port Authority of Thailand on Sunthon Khosa Road.
These two sections of the project were launched last year, Mr Tawatchai said.
A source at the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration said the main cause of the delay was sluggish land transfer from the State Railway of Thailand and the Expressway Authority of Thailand to the BMA as well as Covid-19.