THE partial closure of Rama 2 road for four months 24 hours a day from Feb. 15 to June 15 to install beams for a new expressway is having widespread impact on the traffic flow, Naewna newspaper said today (Feb. 17).
Dr. Samart Ratchapolsitte, former deputy leader of the Democrat Party and former deputy governor of Bangkok, said in a Facebook post that this partial shutdown of a major artery connecting Bangkok with Samut Sakhon, Samut Songkhram and the South with there being large business and residential areas of both sides is a gamble between safety and traffic paralysis.
Why the long closure?
That this key road is being partly shut down is because the Expressway Authority of Thailand (EXAT) is implementing the Rama 3-Dao Khanong-Western Ring Road project. Two main lanes will be closed, one on either side, with only one main lane each remaining open on both sides at the Bang Khun Thian interchange to allow for safe installation of the bridge sections.
EXAT’s goal is to improve long-term traffic efficiency, reduce bottlenecks to the South, enhance the country’s logistics capacity, and support the growth of the western part of Bangkok. This expressway will connect to Motorway No. 82 (M82), a Highways Department project, at the Bang Khun Thian interchange.
EXAT has good intentions
As installing bridge sections over the road surface poses risk to road users, EXAT stated that it will implement strict safety measures with staff being stationed at the construction site to help road users.
In the past, there have been almost no accidents at EXAT’s construction projects but road users will suffer from the partial closure.
This is a city-level problem, not just a road-level one, with people having to adjust to this situation and many having to leave home one to two hours earlier, change routes and adjust appointments.
The traffic disruptions will have an immediate economic impact such as a loss of customers, sluggish business and a slowdown in trade. When partial closure is for four months, the economic consequences are particularly unavoidable.
Rama 2 road has been a large-scale construction site for many years, and numerous construction accidents have occurred, resulting in many deaths and injuries. The road has been closed periodically, causing significant hardship to residents and workers along the route.
Simply put, this partial road closure is to reduce the risk of accidents. This is understandable to the public, as no one wants to see another construction-related accident. People accept the necessity of the closure, but find it difficult to accept the “inefficiency.”
It may not be over yet!
While this road closure may help ensure the safe completion of the remaining construction in the near future, the construction work on Rama 2 road is far from over. There will also be an expansion of M82 motorway from Ban Phaeo to Wang Manow intersection in Pak Tho district, Ratchaburi province, a distance of 47.4km, taking three years to complete. It’s unknown whether this will cause further severe traffic congestion.
If the M82 expansion occurs, the government must consider how to manage the construction project to prevent the public from facing risks or having to find ways to “survive” accidents as in the past, Samart said.
While no one denies development is necessary, with the public understanding the importance of infrastructure and safety, good development should not place the burden solely on the public. The government must ensure construction projects are completed on time and with minimal impact on the public because development is not just about completing infrastructure, but also about considering the quality of life of the people, he added.
CAPTIONS:
Top and Front Page – The construction of the new expressway on Rama 2 road. Photo – Facebook
Insert – Dr. Samart Ratchapolsitte. Photo – Naewna
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