Traffic over Samsen Road sinkhole to partially resume on Oct 8
BMA says Samsen Road sinkhole repairs progress well, with two lanes set to reopen by Oct 8 near Vajira Hospital.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) announced on Monday that repairs to the massive sinkhole on Samsen Road in front of Vajira Hospital were progressing well and that the road would be partially reopened to traffic by October 8.
The BMA’s road collapse command centre reported the update on Monday morning, following a Sunday night visit to the site by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and national police chief Pol Gen Kitrat Phankaew. The two were briefed by the engineer in charge of repairs, along with officials from the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation and the BMA.
Repair progress and engineering measures
As of Monday, the command centre said 1,225 cubic metres of concrete had been poured to form the base of the sinkhole. Engineers had also applied shotcrete—sprayed concrete projected at high velocity—to reinforce the walls of the hole. Water pumps have been installed to drain rainwater.
The next stage will involve relocating power poles, cables, transformers, and damaged water pipes before the hole is refilled. If no further incidents occur, at least two traffic lanes above the site will be reopened by October 8.
The sinkhole, measuring about 30 by 30 metres wide and 20 metres deep, appeared on September 23. It was apparently caused by a leaking water pipe, which led to soil subsidence and collapse into a subway tunnel under construction.
Safety of nearby structures
The command centre said the structures of Vajira Hospital and nearby buildings remain intact, with no signs of cracks or subsidence, though monitoring continues, especially after heavy rainfall.
The hospital has fully resumed services at its outpatient, surgical and emergency wards, with around 1,500–2,000 patients visiting daily. Traffic police are directing vehicles in the area.
Measures to mitigate further risks
BMA governor Chadchart Sittipunt said the operation had not faced major obstacles so far, as rainfall had been lighter than expected. He noted that the BMA had prepared flood-control measures by plugging drainage pipes to stop water flowing into the sinkhole and by installing water pumps around the site.
Chadchart also urged patients to avoid driving to Vajira Hospital, as repair works require around 400 truckloads of sand-concrete mix—more than 4,000 cubic metres in total—which will involve about 1,000 truck trips.
Next steps in reconstruction
Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand governor Gardphajon Udomdhammabhakdi said removal of wreckage—including power poles, pipes, and broken concrete slabs—would be completed by Monday after two days of work.
The next phase will see workers filling the space under Samsen Police Station with cement-mixed sand, one layer at a time. This stage is expected to take four to five days to complete.
