Motorists urged to take Phet Kasem, Borommaratchachonnani roads instead
SAMUT SAKHON — A launching gantry crane and precast concrete segments collapsed on Rama II Road early Monday morning, resulting in four deaths and 10 injuries.
The collapse happened on the outbound side of Rama II Road at a construction site of the Ekkachai – Ban Phaeo Intercity Motorway 82 (M82) section in tambon Khok Krabue at 4.13am.
According to initial reports, four construction workers died and ten others were injured.
A foreman reported that many workers fell when the concrete segments collapsed. A total of twenty-five workers were rescued from the site.
Samut Sakhon governor Naris Niramaiwong urged motorists to take detours because of heavy traffic congestion in the area.
“We will speed up clearing the site to resume traffic on Rama II Road promptly,” Mr Naris said.
The expressway lanes of Rama II Road were fully closed, while some frontage lanes remained open on both sides.
Highway police advised motorists to use Phet Kasem and Borommaratchachonnani roads as alternatives.
Three mobile cranes were dispatched to the scene to remove debris, with their arrival expected at 1pm.
Rama II Road is the main and most direct road connecting Bangkok with the southern region, including the resort town of Hua Hin in Prachuap Khiri Khan province. Government officials agree that congestion on Rama II hurts tourism as local and foreign holiday-makers opt for other destinations to avoid being stuck in a traffic jam.
The construction of an expressway above the road from Bangkok to Samut Sakhon is intended to cut travel time, but delays in the work and the frequent mishaps and road closures have caused even more congestion, especially on weekends and long public holidays.
Some construction accidents have resulted in fatalities. One of the accidents took place on Jan 18 when a sling broke, killing a worker and causing the crane’s lifting basket to fall. In May last year, a worker was killed by a falling concrete slab.
