Resumption of traffic at Samsen Road sinkhole postponed indefinitely

The reopening of traffic at the Samsen Road sinkhole in front of Vajira Hospital has been postponed indefinitely from Wednesday, as authorities must first demolish the Samsen Police Station building, the transport minister said on Tuesday.

Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said repairs at the sinkhole could not be completed in time for traffic to partially resume as earlier scheduled on Wednesday, October 8.

Phiphat explained that traffic in front of the hospital could only be reopened once the police station building had been demolished.

He said he and Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul inspected the repair site on Monday, after which the prime minister ordered the entire police station to be torn down because the structure had become unstable and posed a safety risk.

“So, the police station must be demolished first, and traffic cannot be resumed as earlier promised,” Phiphat said.

Demolition of the Samsen Police Station began on Monday after Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt reported further ground movement that caused additional damage to the piling at the site. One of the main foundation pillars fractured, and the damage spread to another pillar, significantly reducing the building’s load-bearing capacity.

Phiphat said the demolition was being carried out by robots to minimise risk to workers.

“I can’t say when the demolition and the sinkhole repairs will be completed, but we’ll try to get it done as soon as possible,” he added.

He said he and other government agencies would inspect the site again to ensure safety before vehicles are allowed to use the section of road.

The sinkhole, measuring about 30 by 30 metres and 20 metres deep, appeared on September 23. It was apparently caused by a leaking water pipe, which led to soil subsidence and a collapse into a subway tunnel under construction.