Suriya orders contractors to speed up work on Rama II extensions
Contractors building the elevated motorway on Rama II Road, which has been the source of notorious bottlenecks, have been ordered to complete the job no later than mid-next year.
Transport Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit summoned the contractors to a meeting on Monday to discuss the cause of their construction delays after
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said he wanted the contractors to clear the road before the Songkran holidays.
Bangkokians have been avoiding holidays in the South, especially in the popular seaside town of Hua Hin, due to the notorious traffic on Rama II.
The issue of what appears to be an unending construction on Rama II became a hot topic of discussion after a tourism web page noted that not many Bangkokians were visiting Hua Hin recently.
After the meeting, Suriya told reporters that since taking office, he has been regularly discussing the issue with the Highways Department chief.
He said the Rama II highway construction has been dubbed a “seven-generation” project due to specific reasons.
Suriya said Rama II Road was built in the 1970s and had to be expanded to deal with rising traffic because it is a main route to southern provinces from Bangkok.
He said that though the expansion of the Rama II highway itself has been completed, there are still two construction projects linked to the road. One is the Rama III-Dao Khanong expressway overseen by the Expressway Authority of Thailand (EXAT) and the other is the Highway Department’s elevated Motorway No 82, which is taking up several lanes in the middle of the road.
But with the two projects being built at the same time, many angry motorists have asked why the construction never seems to end.
The motorway project was initiated by the Prayut Chan-o-cha government as part of its 20-year national development scheme and will link to Rama II expressway to provide a quicker alternative route to the South.
Suriya said he invited the contractors hired by both EXAT and the Highway Department to find out why the construction projects are being delayed.
Suriya said most of the contractors said their part of the construction should be completed by June 2025.
However, those building sections 4 and 6 of the motorway, from Ekkachai to Ban Praew said they will have to build elevated ramps for entrance and exit, and will therefore only be able to finish the project by the end of next year.
Suriya, meanwhile, said he has instructed the Highways Department to negotiate an early completion of the projects. He said he will meet the contractors every two months to ensure the work is being done as scheduled.
He added that contractors who fail to meet the deadline will be blacklisted and barred from winning government projects in the future.
The transport minister added that the contractors had explained that they could not speed up the project due to time constraints. They explained that previously they were able to work on their respective projects round the clock, but after there were several cases of debris falling on cars below, the authorities confined them to work at night only.
Suriya said the contractors also complained about not being allowed to work during long weekends. However, he said, the contractors believe they will be able to complete the jobs if they are given a longer deadline.
The minister said that once these two projects are completed, there will be no more construction on Rama II.
