Bridge demolition causes snarl-up
WITH the overpass at Kasetsart University (KU) intersection being demolished, motorists who need to travel via that area suffered painfully slow traffic during yesterday's morning rush hour.
The demolition, which began on Friday night, will take 60 days. It is being demolished to make way for the Green Line electric train.
“The trip from my home in Sathorn to Kasetsart University, which normally takes about 45 minutes, took me 80 minutes this morning,” Nutcha Thanavaranon lamented, adding that bad traffic means she will have to get out of bed very early every morning.
Sararat Son-Len, another KU student, said she spent half an hour longer on the road. “I come from Don Muang area,” she said.
Dumrong Teeta, the driver of a public van along Phaholyothin Road, said the congestion also affected his livelihood. “Normally, I am able to make nine trips daily, but with this traffic, I’ll be lucky to make seven,” he said.
He added that van operators in Bang Khen would meet Bangkok Mass Transit Authority officials soon to change the route.
“The traffic was so bad this morning, even motorcycles got stuck on the road, forming long lines stretching from Kasetsart University intersection to Ratchayothin intersection,” a fruit vendor said.
Traffic Police deputy commander Pol Colonel Ekarak Limsangkart, meanwhile, urged people to consider alternative routes. “They could opt for Soi Phaholyothin 35, Ngam Wong Wan Road, or Vibhavadi Rangsit,” he said, adding that police would do their best to facilitate the traffic flow.
