The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) looks set to begin demolition of the Samsen police station building in Dusit district on Oct 22, as part of efforts to restore the surface of a section of Samsen Road, which subsided on Sept 24.
The BMA on Thursday reported progress in repairing the road subsidence in front of Vajira Hospital.
The contractor had filled around 5,330 cubic metres of sand between Tuesday and Thursday, bringing the current surface to about 2.65 metres below the original road level. Debris had also been cleared from the site.
Continuous inspections and structural assessments are being conducted on the police station, adjacent police flats and surrounding buildings to ensure maximum safety.
Bangkok deputy governor Wisanu Subsompon said after inspecting the site on Wednesday evening that the underground conditions have stabilised and that the next step was to raise the surface with coarse sand by about two more metres before proceeding with the demolition of the police station building.
Once completed, the restoration of the road surface will commence, starting with the entrance to Vajira Hospital’s parking area. This phase is expected to take several months.
The demolition of the police station may begin on Oct 22, said the deputy governor. The contractor would take around four to five days to bring the structure down, and another week to clear the debris.
Heavy rainfall in recent days has caused water to accumulate in the subsidence area, which officials view as a positive indicator, confirming that water is not leaking into the underground tunnel.
‘We are proceeding step by step. Doing everything at once would be dangerous. Safety must remain our top priority, as Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt has consistently emphasised,’ said the deputy governor.
Joining the site inspection were Suriya Raviwan, director of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation; Prapas Luangsirinapa, director of the Department of Public Works; Gardphajon Udomdhammabhakdi, governor of the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA); Waranya Leelaburanapong, director of Dusit district office, and other relevant officials.
The sinkhole formed on Samsen Road in the morning of Sept 24 above an underground railway station under construction for the Purple Line extension route of the MRTA. The state enterprise blamed the subsidence on the water saturated, soft soil in the surrounding area.