Collapsed bridge on Rama II to be cleared out in a week

The Expressway Authority of Thailand (Exat) expects to clear out the debris from the collapsed Dao Khanong Expressway bridge on Rama II Road and restore access to the inbound Dao Khanong Expressway in one week.

A concrete beam structure of the new expressway bridge, under construction, collapsed onto the existing bridge near Soi 25 and the entrance to the Dao Khanong Expressway in Bang Mod subdistrict of Bangkok’s Chom Thong district early on Saturday.

The incident killed at least seven people and injured several others, while about 30 people are still missing, according to initial reports.

Exat governor Surachet Laophulsuk said on Saturday that the inbound route of the Dao Khanong Expressway should be usable within one week, but the outbound route would need at least one month to repair the damage before it can be opened again.

The authority also vowed to pursue legal action against the ITD-VCB joint venture, which was awarded the third contract of the Rama III – Dao Khanong – Western Outer Ring Road Expressway Project.

The joint venture consists of Italian-Thai Development Pcl and Vijitphan Construction Ltd. The construction work was carried out by Asian Engineering Consultants Ltd, Chotichinda Consultants Ltd, and MAA Consultants Ltd.

"A committee will be set up to investigate the cause of the incident and to ensure that it will not happen again after the construction resumes,” he said. “I am confident that the design itself was not the issue; it was likely the construction process that went wrong.”

He added that the Transport Ministry had set a schedule for this expressway project to be completed at the end of this year, which would now likely miss the deadline.

“Those affected by the incident will be fairly compensated, and those responsible for negligence will be fully held accountable,” said Surachet. “We apologise for the inconvenience caused and urge motorists travelling to the South to use the Thotsama Rachan Bridge instead.”

Surachet revealed that initial investigations suggest that the cause of the collapse was an excessive amount of concrete poured on the concrete beam connecting the Rama X Bridge to the Rama II off-ramp, causing the beam to crack and break under the weight.

He said one of the beam parts collapsed onto the Daokhanong Expressway on the outbound route, causing the part to shatter, prompting authorities to close off the traffic for safety.

During the construction process, engineers had been on-site to inspect the work, and it was confirmed that the issue did not stem from a design flaw, he said.