Congestion is expected on Tiwanon Road and Ram Intra Road beginning Tuesday as traffic is set to be diverted to allow space to be cleared for the construction of the Pink Line Monorail.
From last night, the far right inbound and outbound lanes of Tiwanon Road, from Bang Talat to the Royal Irrigation Department, were closed. The traffic diversion is to allow engineers to conduct load testing as the area will accommodate pillar structures and monorail stations, said Surachet Laophulsuk, project manager of Pink Line Monorial under the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA).
As well, additional adjacent lanes on the outbound part of this section will be closed between 10pm-4am daily until the end of February next year.
From this Saturday on Ram Intra Road, the MRTA will start diverting one traffic lane opposite Highway Police Station 2, Subdivision 8 as load testing begins. At that section, the far-left inbound lane will be closed from 10pm to 4am. The diversion on Ram Intra Road will be enforced until March 15 next year. Traffic police expect even more congestion in the near future as the part of the Pink Line monorail construction will take place on major roads, including some areas of Vibhavadi Rangsit and Phahon Yothin roads, according to Pol Maj Gen Chiraphat Bhumichitr.
"Construction companies will receive warnings if they do not cease their operations by the daily specified time," said Pol Maj Gen Chiraphat, Metropolitan Police Bureau deputy commissioner for traffic.
MRTA expects the construction will ramp up during the first quarter of next year. The construction of the Pink Line Monorail has been delayed for three months due to land expropriation problems by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and The Department of Highways.
"A more specific deadline for the route's opening can be set after land expropriations are complete, since some private landowners are still refusing to cooperate," said Mr Surachet said, adding that MRTA expects to announce a construction timeframe and additional traffic diversions by the end of this month. The Pink Line is the country's first monorail system and is intended link many existing mass transit routes in northern areas of Bangkok.
About 34.5 km in length, with 30 stations, it will run from Khae Rai to Min Buri. The Pink Line will connect to the SRT Red Line (Bang Sue-Rangsit), the MRT Green Line (Mo Chit-Saphan Mai-Khu Khot), the MRT Purple Line (Khlong Bang Phai-Tao Poon) and the MRT Orange Line (Min Buri-Taling Chan).
The project is expected to cost around 58 billion baht. The line will serve an estimated 35,0000 passengers daily.