City Hall picks up overlapping projects tab
City Hall has agreed to pay for parts of the adjustments to construction plans of overlapping infrastructure projects in Bangkok, according to the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA).
MRTA deputy governor Pakapong Sirikantaramas said the MRTA has invited agencies, including City Hall, the Customs Department and the Consulate Department, to a meeting to solve problems caused by overlapping projects.
The MRTA projects overlap mostly with City Hall projects and the problems need to be ironed out through inter-agency cooperation, he said.
One project is City Hall’s expansion of the elevated road from Lam Salee intersection to Klong Bang Chun.
The construction is to be carried out on top of the construction of MRTA’s electric train tunnel between the Lam Salee and Klong Ban Ma stations.
Both agencies agreed the two projects were able to proceed alongside each other although some construction costs may increase as a result.
The additional bill, expected at 400 million baht, will be picked up by City Hall, according to the MRTA.
A second project by City Hall is to construct a pedestrian underpass on Ramkhamhaeng Road at the Kanchanaphisek ramp, which is in the same spot where pillars for an electric train project are to be erected.
The two agencies decided the MRTA can go ahead with the construction of the pillars. However, City Hall will have to pay to install a safety system to keep pedestrians from using the underpass away from the pillars, according to Mr Pakapong.
He added the MRTA and City Hall also discussed a traffic overpass to be built on Ratpattana Road above the construction site of Ratpattana electric train station. The overpass project forces the MRTA to raise its ramp that connects to the station by eight metres, incurring an additional cost of around 150 million baht.
Mr Pakapong said City Hall agreed to revise its overpass blueprint to bring down the additional costs for the MRTA.
Also, it was possible to change the overpass to an underpass, he added.
A fourth project to be discussed is City Hall’s construction of an overpass over the Bang Kapi intersection which is too close to an electric train station in front of The Mall department store.
The two sides resolved the overpass will be demolished and rebuilt using pillars of the elevated electric train tracks. The MRTA has agreed to the proposal though City Hall will have to secure a budget of 250 million baht for the MRTA to finance the new construction plan.
Mr Pakapong said City Hall will request the budget from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration council.
Meanwhile, Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith has instructed the MRTA to consult agencies and find ways to prevent a delay in the handover of land for electric train projects.
The electric train projects in question are the Orange Line between the Thailand Cultural Centre and Min Buri, the Yellow Line between Lat Phrao and Samrong, the Pink Line between Karai and Min Buri and the Purple Line between Tao Poon and Rat Burana.
The agencies involved in the handover include City Hall, the Provincial Administration Department and the Fine Arts Department. Any delays could financially burden the state, the ministry said.