The Office of Transport and Traffic Planning plans to seek approval to build 10 new bridges across the Chao Phraya River to ease traffic in Bangkok and vicinity provinces.
Work on this bridge crossing the Chao Phraya River in Nonthaburi’s Muang district is now 93% complete. The bridge, which connects to Nonthaburi 1 Road, is expected to be finished at the end of the year.(Photo by Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)
Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, deputy transport minister, said the bridges - some already in the study stage - would require 50.5 billion baht of investment. The proposal will be on the agenda of a committee supervising land-transport management, chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
Nine bridges would be constructed between 2017 and 2021 for 48.95 billion baht. The first bridge, to be completed by the end of 2014, is the Nonthaburi bridge. Two spans that can begin construction in 2017 are for Kiakkai and Samut Prakan.
The rest are the Rama 2, Ratchawong-Tha Din Daeng, Lat Ya-Maha Pruktharam, Chan-Charoen Nakhon bridges, which would be built under the responsibility of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.
The Pathum Thani and Sak Khok bridges would be constructed by Rural Roads Department.
Later, the Sanam Bin Nam bridge would be built by the Rural Roads Department within 2031 with the proposed budget of 1.58 billion baht.