• 
• 
• 

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's (BMA) announcement that it would close 12 flyovers for up to 90 days for maintenance and the demolition of the deteriorating Asoke-Phetchaburi flyover have triggered fears of severe traffic jams.

Deputy BMA governor Prakob Jirakitti said yesterday that researchers from Chulalongkorn University had completed an assessment of how much weight the iron-structured flyovers could hold.

The city now has four sets of plans according to the location of the flyovers and is seeking cooperation from traffic police to close one lane at each overpass for up to 45 days, he said.

The first group covers Prachanukul Intersection, Wong Sawang Intersection, Kasetsart Intersection, Ratcha-yothin Intersection and Pong-petch Intersection. The second group covers Tha Phra Inter-section and Bang Phlad Inter-section, while the third deals with Khlong Ton Intersection, Rama IX-Ramkhamhaeng Intersection, Rama IX-MCOT Intersection and Asoke-Phetchaburi Intersection. The so-called "independent group" covers the Din Daeng triangle and Rama IV Intersection.

The Asoke Intersection's pedestrian bridge has been |under repairs since early this month and traffic has been blocked on a daily basis bet-ween 10pm and 5am.

Deputy Metropolitan Police Commissioner for traffic, Maj-General Panu Kerdlarpphol, says the flyover maintenance projects will certainly affect traffic flow because vehicles need to be blocked as the structures are repaired.

He says the most worrisome areas are Prachanukul Inter-section and Wong Sawang Intersection because they link the heavily used Ratchada ring road, so the intersections should not be closed at the same time. The same, he says, goes for the Kasetsart Intersec-tion flyover and the Ratchayo-thin Intersection overpass.

He promises that police will be quick in notifying motorists about the projects ahead of time so they can plan their routes and avoid any inconvenience.