Preliminary investigations suggest that the overloading of the soil truck was the likely cause of the collapse of a concrete slab on Sukhumvit Road, near the BTS Punnawithi Station, according to the Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt.
The incident occurred when a heavy soil truck attempted to traverse the road, leading to the concrete slab caving in and impacting traffic flow on Sukhumvit Road.
The concrete slab covers an underground utility project involving electrical cables for the Metropolitan Electricity Authority. This project requires work during nighttime hours, with the concrete slab being closed during the day to allow regular traffic flow.
Beneath the slab, there are support beams designed to bear the weight. However, it is suspected that the soil truck, which is estimated to have been carrying 36 tons of soil, exceeded the weight limit, causing the support beams to give way.
The repair work is expected to take approximately one day, and it has raised concerns about the need for stricter regulations on truck weight limits in Bangkok in the future.
As a result of this incident, traffic conditions on Sukhumvit Road, from Bangna heading towards On Nut, have been severely affected. Traffic authorities have redirected vehicles to the other side of the road, which will unavoidably cause traffic congestion. It is advised that the public avoid this route during the evening hours today to minimize traffic disruption. (TNA)
