The segment of an overpass in Bangkok’s Lat Krabang district collapsed on July 10^th, causing two fatalities and 13 injuries. It was a major incident which shocked people in Bangkok. This accident is not, however, the first.

Back on September 30^th, 2022, a support beam in a U-turn flyover bridge, undergoing maintenance, collapsed onto the busy Rama II Road in Samut Sakhon province. The incident caused two deaths. One person was in his car and another was supervising the maintenance work. Two others were injured.

It was reported that workers were about to pour cement on the flyover bridge, in front of the Vibharam Hospital, when the beam suddenly collapsed onto cars on the in-bound lanes below.

Besides construction accidents on the roads, there have also been many other building collapses during construction in Bangkok.

Chadchart Sittipunt, the Governor of Bangkok said the incidents have caused people to doubt the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s (BMA) projects and it is the BMA’s task to regain the confidence of the citizens.

There are currently 42 construction sites around Bangkok under the BMA. The BMA is identifying all 42 sites and entering their data into the GPS and GIS systems, so, the public can check when they need to.

He said “One thing we are doing is putting all construction that need a permit into the GPS and GIS systems. So, if you click to this location, you will find who is responsible for this project, when it started, when it is due to be finished, what they are doing and the progress of the project. So, hopefully, we can put this location onto the map and people can get access to its information. It will become open data and people can take a look.”

According to the governor, one of the main causes of collapse are overweight trucks driving near the construction sites and causing vibration. To prevent such incidents, the BMA is installing weight sensors all around the city, to detect overweight vehicles. Those overweight vehicles will be taken off the road immediately.

For contractors which have been in trouble before, the governor said the BMA will put more restrictions on contractors which have had bad experiences, a failure, caused a problem with loss of life and property or had delays in the project.

Chadchart stated that “In the future, we might try to have some measures to prevent them from building, but it has to be done according to the laws. That will, however, help us be to more selective in selecting contractors which are of a better quality.

By Kitipat Chuensukjit