Changes to traffic flow in Ram Khamhaeng area from Feb 23 during construction of MRT station
The city-inbound exit point from the Ram Khamhaeng elevated section near Soi Ram Khamhaeng 8 for motorists heading to Rama IX will be closed from 11pm on February 23 onwards, in order to make way for construction of section II of the MRT Orange Line’s eastern route (Thailand Cultural Centre to Min Buri).
Construction of the 22.57-kilometre route – comprising 10 underground and seven elevated stations – is 5.7 per cent complete, and the blocking off of the exit point is to enable construction of Ram Khamhaeng 12 station, Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand assistant governor Wittaya Phanmongkol said on Monday.
Traffic police have prepared a special measure to alleviate expected congestion during the construction period, said Pol Maj-General Jirapat Phumjit, deputy chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau who oversees traffic regulations in the city.
Two reversed lanes on the Ram Khamhaeng elevated way will be for city-inbound motorists during the morning rush hour, from 5.30am to 10am, with vehicles able to leave at the special exit point that previously had been reserved for outbound traffic, while outbound drivers must use only the ground-level road.
City-outbound motorists during the evening rush hour, from 6.30pm to 8pm, will also get to use two lanes and the exit point as usual, while city-bound drivers must use only the ground-level road, he explained.
Outside these periods, the elevated road section from the Sports Authority of Thailand to Soi Ramkhamhaeng 19 will be made two-way, with one lane in each direction, while its access point at Soi Ramkhamhaeng 19 that had previously been reserved for outbound traffic will be made into a two-way access point, with one lane for inbound and one lane for outbound, Jirapat said.
Detailed advice for motorists passing through the area during the construction period can be found on the Facebook fan page https://www.facebook.com/MRTOrangeLineEast/.
