The Expressway Authority of Thailand (EXAT) expects the construction of the country’s widest river bridge over the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok to be officially completed by next year.
According to EXAT, the construction of the eight-lane bridge is scheduled to be completed this month. However, the bridge will need to go through inspections and architectural work before it can be officially inaugurated early next year.
The parallel bridge is part of the Rama III expressway project which extends 18.7 kilometers from the Bang Khunthian interchange along Rama II Road to the Bang Khlo interchange, connecting the Chalerm Maha Nakhon and Si Rat expressways. The project will help alleviate congestion in the capital and its adjacent provinces to the west and south of the country.
The eight-lane bridge is a 2-kilometer-long cable-stayed construction built parallel to the Rama IX Bridge. The new bridge will help relieve congestion from the other bridge, which is expected to be repaired in the future.
After the parallel bridge is fully operational, EXAT will cease the use of the Rama IX Bridge in 2025 for a year of maintenance. Rama IX Bridge currently handles an average of 104,000 vehicles per day. Authorities said that congestion on the 35-year-old bridge will be reduced once the Rama III expressway project is finished. (NNT)
