7-10-2024 (BANGKOK) A major thoroughfare in Bangkok’s Dusit district has been abruptly closed following a dramatic collapse on Sunday evening. The Kesakomol Bridge, a vital link spanning the Prem Prachakorn Canal, will remain off-limits to vehicular traffic until Friday midnight as emergency repairs are undertaken.
The incident, which occurred around 9 pm on Sunday, saw a significant portion of the bridge’s junction with Nakhon Chaisri Road give way, leaving a gaping chasm measuring 5 metres in width, 10 metres in length, and plunging 3 metres deep. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) swiftly responded to the crisis, implementing immediate safety measures and announcing a five-day closure for comprehensive repairs.
In a bid to maintain pedestrian access, BMA workers have installed temporary steel plates over the affected area, allowing foot traffic to continue across the canal. However, motorists face significant disruption and are being advised to follow designated detour routes.
Drivers travelling from Amnuay Songkram Road towards Rama V Road are instructed to turn right at the Pichai Intersection, proceeding along Nakhon Chaisri Road before making a left onto Rama V Road. Conversely, those on Nakhon Chaisri Road heading for Amnuay Songkram are directed to turn left onto Rama V Road, then right at Ratchawat Intersection onto Pichai Road, before finally turning left onto Amnuay Songkram Road.
Niphan Sriruang, director of canals at the BMA’s Sewerage and Drainage Department, shed light on the cause of the collapse. He revealed that the subsidence occurred at the site of an ongoing project to construct a 2-kilometre concrete pavement along the canal beneath the bridge. The primary culprit, according to Sriruang, was a ruptured water main that had gradually eroded the soil supporting the bridge structure.
