Urgent repairs for 2 bridges
Fearing a repeat of Sunday's deadly bridge collapse in Ayutthaya, Lop Buri Provincial Organisation Administration president Orapin Jirapanwanich yesterday ordered urgent repairs to a bridge across the Wang Kan Leung Waterfall in Chai Badan district after
After the Interior Ministry instructed all provinces to check on their suspension bridges, Orapin led officials to inspect the 64-metre-long, 2m-wide bridge. The structure, built in 1992 to allow tourists visiting the waterfall to walk from Chai Badan to the Tha Luang district side, was reported by locals to be in bad condition.
Officials found the structure and cables stable, but its wooden deck urgently needed to be replaced. The waterfall receives many visitors and the bridge sees a lot of pedestrian traffic, so it may be dangerous, Orapin said.
Meanwhile, as the remains of the suspension bridge which collapsed in Tha Rua, Ayutthaya, on Sunday killing four people and injuring 10, were being cleared, pending reconstruction, officials found a second bridge in poor repair just a kilometre away.
Engineers declared Wat Sateu Bridge, built in 2008 for Bt18 million and renovated in 2010, unsafe. It was set for demolition and reconstruction, though some still use it, a local official said.
