The Engineering Institute of Thailand (EIT) has asked the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) to remove the iron girders of a construction beam from a pedestrian bridge near Laksi intersection.
People walk on a section of a pedestrian bridge where a cable is used to fasten it to the iron girders of a construction beam for the Red Line electric rail project near Laksi intersection. Engineers have warned that tying the girders to the bridge is dangerous. Pattarapong Chatpattarasill
Suchatvee Suwansawat, the EIT’s president and dean of the engineering faculty of King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, yesterday expressed concern over the safety of pedestrians using the bridge in front of the IT Square shopping centre.
On Monday, scaffolding for the Red Line electric train project in front of the shopping mall collapsed during construction, injuring seven labourers working at the site, three of them seriously.
The collapse occurred when iron girders supporting a construction beam buckled.
Iron girders of the collapsed beam were later fastened to the nearby bridge.
Mr Suchatvee said fastening the girders to the bridge is dangerous and puts pedestrians’ lives at risk because the weight could cause the structure to collapse.
The bridge may not be strong enough to hold the collapsed structure for a long time, he said, adding that it was not designed to serve the purpose of holding such a heavy structure.
He asked SRT authorities to unfasten the beam from the bridge for pedestrians’ well-being and safety.
According to international construction work standards, iron girders supporting construction beams need to be fastened firmly to ensure the structure can support the beam, said Mr Suchatvee.
More importantly, the cementing work to mould the beam should be carried out within one or two days after the iron girders have been fastened, he said.
Jare Rungthanee, an engineer at the SRT’s engineering department for special projects, said the iron girders have been fastened to the bridge temporarily to keep the collapsed structure upright.
Construction workers at the site are in the process of building concrete blocks and cementing to ensure the structure is firm enough to support the beams, he said.
The fastening of the iron girders to the bridge will not do the structure any long-term damage because it is a temporary solution, Mr Jare said.
Source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/459287/bridge-tether-plan-is-unsafe
