NAKHON PHANOM: Repair work is being accelerated for the cycling path along the Mekong riverbank in Muang district that collapsed early this month after being undermined by water erosion.
The Department of Public Works and Town and Country Planning and the contractor hired to build the structure on Thursday deployed extra wokers and machinery to the collapsed and damaged sections.
The department wants to accelerate the work for fear the water level in the Mekong River might rapidly rise and further erode the river bank.
The cycleway, touted as a major local tourist attraction, collapsed after it was completed but before it was officially handed over to the province.
Repairs are planned in two phases.
Phase one is the cycling path from the Muang municipality pier to Vietnamese Memorial Clock Tower community, a distance of over 600 metres. It remains closed as there are structural cracks at some supporting beams. The cracks occurred after the riverbank eroded, a source at the works department said.
Phase two, the bike path from a viewpoint section to Nong Saeng community, a distance of about 500 metres, remains closed after more than 100 metres collapsed and slid down the bank. Engineers found structural cracks at several spots along the path.
Nakhon Phanom governor Saksayam Sirimongkol on Thursday asked the department and other agencies to accelerate the work. He said the cycling path was a selling point for the province’s tourism sector.