Bridge reopened to alleviate Hua Mak traffic congestion
Metropolitan Police deputy chief Pol Maj-General Jirasant Kaewsaeng-Ake on Monday (May 11) presided over the reopening ceremony of the Lamsalee Intersection Bridge on Ramkhamhaeng Road in Bangkok’s Hua Mak subdistrict.
“The bridge had been closed due to the construction of the MRT Orange Line and for maintenance since December 2018,” he said. “The reopening of the bridge will add two more traffic lanes to Ramkhamhaeng Road, which used to have five lanes but could use only three for a year-and-a-half.”
The Metropolitan Police expects the reopening of the bridge to alleviate traffic congestion in Hua Mak, especially between Lamsalee and Bang Kapi intersections.
“Since this morning, the traffic flow from northern Bangkok [Krungthep Kreetha Road] has improved significantly,” he said.
Jirasant also said that since the government imposed a lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19, traffic had dropped by 70-80 per cent.
“However, after some of the measures were lifted [earlier this month], the number of vehicles plying Bangkok’s roads has jumped to 50 per cent,” he said. “We expect this number to reach 60 per cent this week as department stores are likely to reopen and more people will resume going to work instead of working from home.”
Last week, the Metropolitan Police removed all 13 daytime checkpoints in Bangkok that were assigned to randomly check emergency decree violators. However, it will continue to operate 52 checkpoints at night to make sure people stay home between 10pm and 4am.