The Department of Rural Roads has allocated 15 million baht to construct the long-delayed pedestrian bridge for the disabled over Sukhumvit Road.
Tithiwat Anuruthikul, head of operations for the Sukhumvit-Central roads bypass tunnel project, and Chawalit Jirayanyong of the Land Transport Department, said the bridge, which includes elevators for those unable to navigate steps, will be built within the tunnel-construction zone and should be finished by April.
The bridge, first proposed in 2013, will be located near the Redemptorist Vocational School for Persons with Disabilities, which has more than 300 students attending the facility, many of them needing to traverse the busy highway.
It has been delayed repeatedly by funding shortages and, most recently, a lawsuit by the operator of a Pattaya pawnshop. Pattaya Money Service Co. lost the case, clearing the way for the bridge to go forward, but the previously allocated budget had been spent elsewhere and more funds were needed.
