Bangkok: The Governor of the Expressway Authority of Thailand (EXAT) confirmed that the expressway structure was not affected by the earthquake. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Anutin Charnvirakul, along with Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt and EXAT Governor Surachet Laopoolsuk, and experts from the Engineering Institute of Thailand (EIT) inspected the construction crane collapse from a tall building and followed up on the progress of the recovery of debris that fell at the entrance and exit of Din Daeng Toll Plaza after being affected by the earthquake.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Chadchart Sittipunt, Governor of Bangkok, revealed that the removal of the crane debris from the building is the responsibility of the contractor company. The BMA has set up a committee from government agencies to help oversee the work. There will be integration between the BMA, the Expressway Authority of Thailand, and the Engineering Institute of Thailand as a working group to provide advice. The work will be expedited as quickly as possible to open both inbound and outbound traffic at the Din Daeng checkpoint and solve traffic problems in the area. Safety is emphasized as the number one priority.
Mr. Surachet Laopoolsuk, Governor of the Expressway Authority of Thailand (EXAT), confirmed that he had inspected the expressway structures of all routes and found that they were not affected by the earthquake and were stable and strong. He had inspected the expansion joints on the road surface and found that they did not expand or move out of position.
In this regard, the Expressway Authority of Thailand (EXAT) has invited the Department of Highways and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) to jointly inspect the management approach for cranes stuck on tall buildings. They are currently seeking cooperation to assess the situation on the buildings and coordinate with the owners of the areas to determine the safe way to bring the cranes down.
The main goal of the operation is to open the Din Daeng Expressway as soon as possible, while keeping safety as the number one priority. However, it may take time to complete the operation to meet the highest safety standards.