Thai-Belgian Bridge in Bangkok to be closed for repair

BANGKOK, March 17 (TNA) - The Thai–Belgian Bridge in Bangkok's Pathunwan area will be closed for an about two-month repair, starting from March 20, 2017, after it was damaged by a fire on February 28. Deputy Permanent Secretary for Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) Jaroon Meethanathavorn told journalists on Friday that late last month's fire has caused steel beams on the outbound lanes to bend and the traffic surface subsided. Jaroon said after the blaze, BMA has temporarily repaired the bridge to allow motorists to pass by and relieve traffic congestion during daily rush hours. However, Jaroon announced, the bridge will be closed for a permanent repair for 30 days, from March 20 to April 18, starting at the outbound lanes heading to Klong Toei area. After that, inbound lanes of the bridge, heading to Samyan area, will be fixed for 28 days, from April 18 to May 15, timely to be re-opened for public service when the new school semester starts on May 16. When two outbound lanes are closed for repair, the two inbound lanes will be opened for two-way traffic but will be converted to one-way traffc at specific periods to relieve traffic congestion during the rush hours. (TNA)