SRT hopes Ratchaburi’s new extradosed bridge will lure tourists
Thailand’s first extradosed double-track railway bridge across Mae Klong River in Ratchaburi has been completed and should start operating by September, the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) said on Friday.
The extradosed model is built by combining a balanced cantilever with tension cables. It is 340 metres long, crossing a 160-metre section of the river and is 16 metres high.
“The bridge uses tension cables to support its weight instead of a foundation post in the middle of the river,” said Jarei Rungthaneeya, deputy SRT governor for infrastructure. “SRT surveyed the riverbed and found that there are seven 1,000-pound explosives from World War II era and therefore decided to avoid the risk of removing them and opted for the cable approach instead.”
The 440-million-baht new double-track bridge runs alongside the Chulalongkorn Bridge, a single-track railway bridge built in 1901 to accommodate trains to the province.
Though SRT had shortlisted two names – Burachat and Chulalongkorn 2 – it said it is hoping that His Majesty the King will come up with a unique one for this bridge.
SRT also said that train tracks and other infrastructure will be installed in the bridge and it should be ready for use by September. It is part of the Nakhon Pathom-Hua Hin railway project.
“We hope this new bridge will become a new landmark in Ratchaburi that attracts both Thai and foreign tourists to marvel over bridge engineering, as well as visit the historical Chulalongkorn Bridge built during the reign of King Rama V, who wanted to extend train routes to and from Bangkok,” Jarei said.
With the new extradosed bridge, there are now three bridges crossing the Mae Klong River side by side, including the Thanarat Bridge for vehicles and pedestrians and the Chulalongkorn Bridge for trains.
