Ratchprasong-Pratunam skywalk plan
A new BTS skywalk from the Ratchprasong intersection to Pratunam will be built soon and take around a year to complete, deputy Bangkok governor Theerachon Manomaiphibool said yesterday.
The new section will connect Gaysorn shopping centre and Platinum Fashion Mall, while the existing skywalk between Amarin Plaza and Gaysorn is being expanded in width.
The projects are paid for by business owners and will eventually be handed over to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, Theerachon said.
Meanwhile, a controversial plan by the BMA to build a massive Bt15-billion skywalk could possibly be halted, as the current term of Bangkok governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra will end soon, the deputy governor said.
Many businesses have connected skywalks to BTS stations. Examples include Bitec, which is building a skywalk from the new Bang Na station. Others are Noble Development, MBK shopping centre and Major Cineplex Sukhumvit. More businesses along BTS routes will soon be invited to connect their premises and expand the BTS skywalk system.
BMA’s controversial skywalk plan would have spanned 50 kilometres, but was met with opposition over the huge cost. Theerachon said that 70 per cent of the respondents in a BMA poll wanted it built, but it has been put on hold for now.
