The Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand says it plans to fill the sinkhole on Samsen Road in Dusit district of Bangkok and reopen the road for traffic by Oct 9.
Sand was being dumped into the sinkhole to prepare for the quick reconstruction of the Samsen road surface, MRTA deputy governor Kitti Akewanlop said on Tuesday.
The job will require 7,000 to 8,000 cubic metres of sand and workers can dump about 2,000 cubic metres a day, he said. On Tuesday the sinkhole was about 10 metres deep from the original road surface.
‘The road surface will be rebuilt on Oct 8 and two lanes will reopen on Oct 9 as planned,’ Mr Kitti said.
He also said that the adjacent Samsen police station building did not shift after the collapse as earlier feared, and officials concerned had confirmed its safety.
Apart from the police station, the sinkhole stood next to Vajira Hospital. Patients and relatives have been advised to take public transport for now. Hospital executives say that 7,000 to 8,000 patients and relatives visit the hospital every day.
The sinkhole was 30 metres wide, 30 metres long and 20 metres deep when it formed suddenly on Samsen Road on the morning of Sept 24. The MRTA initially blamed it on soil sliding into a tunnel and underground station of its Purple Line extension route.
The contractor for the section in question is the CKST joint venture, made up of SET-listed Ch. Karnchang Plc and Stecon Group Plc. The family of Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul are major shareholders in the latter.