A 50 kilogramme piece of concrete fell from the Ekachai interchange bridge onto a footpath in Bang Bon district, Bangkok, yesterday, August 26, prompting officials to inspect the structure.
The fallen concrete measured roughly 50 by 30 centimetres. A severed lighting cable was also found hanging from the bridge at the same spot.
Officers from the Department of Highways attended alongside municipal enforcement officers and Bang Bon district civil defence volunteers. They cordoned off the area to prevent people from walking underneath the bridge while inspections were carried out.
Sompong Tong-on, an officer with the Department of Highways’ Bang Khun Thian highway sub-section, said he was alerted by a civil defence volunteer that concrete had fallen from the bridge.
Officials inspected the underside of the bridge and found further loose concrete that had not yet fallen. The fragments were removed as an initial safety measure.
Sompong said the fallen material was concrete left from when the bridge was constructed. The bridge had undergone repairs some time ago, and vibrations from passing traffic caused the old material to break loose and fall onto the footpath below.
He stressed that the bridge’s structure was unaffected and confirmed that it remained open for normal use.
The Bang Khun Thian highway sub-section regularly inspects the bridge and has already completed some repair work. Officials will next coordinate with a contractor to carry out further repairs and preventive work.
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