Rama II Gantry Collapse Kills Two, Strands Commuters; PM Orders Safety Overhaul

BANGKOK – On Aug. 15, a gantry collapse sent slabs of concrete onto one of the capital’s busiest arteries, leaving two motorists dead and bringing traffic to a standstill. Residents faced a significant hazard on their morning commute, and Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said the era of ad hoc repairs was over.

Rapid recap at a glance

• 2 fatalities confirmed, both private motorists.

• Road clearance target: within 14 days, according to the Department of Highways.

• 7-day probe ordered; senior engineers from three professional bodies involved.

• Italian-Thai Development (ITD) – main contractor – told to halt all elevated-road work nationwide pending checks.

• Government considering blacklisting repeat offenders and revising tender rules for mega-projects.

Scene of the collapse

Witness videos show the launching gantry, a caterpillar-like crane used to hoist precast segments, buckling above the outbound lanes of Rama II Road near Km 30 in Samut Sakhon. The machine’s support legs reportedly rested on the thinnest part of a concrete deck, causing the span to shear and send multi-ton beams crashing onto two passing cars. By the time rescue crews reached the site, it was clear a routine school-day drive had turned deadly.

Key findings so far

Initial measurements collected by the Structural Engineers Association of Thailand, and shared with the media, point to a series of preventable errors:

Misplaced struts – support shoes were installed on a weak corner rather than the reinforced core.

Defective hydraulic collars that failed to lock 360° around the main jack.

Distorted left-side base caused by uneven loading and thin concrete panels.

Night-only work window compressed the schedule, encouraging shortcuts.

Sub-contract layering left senior engineers off-site when adjustments were made.

Second-hand gantry parts lacked up-to-date certification.

Traffic management gaps meant no protective decking over live lanes.

Safety audits from an earlier incident in Nakhon Ratchasima were never fully implemented.

Government’s response

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, flanked by the transport and interior ministers, visited the site for about 20 minutes. He described the collapse as “negligence and recklessness,” ordered an administrative termination of the current contract and warned that future public-works tenders will include a zero-tolerance clause for repeat safety offenders. A multi-agency committee – with representatives from the Ministry of Transport, Council of Engineers, and Office of Insurance Commission – has been tasked with delivering its report within one week.

Contractor’s record under scrutiny

The crane on Rama II is the third major ITD-linked accident in 12 months, following a high-speed rail pier collapse in Si Khiew and a city-centre tower failure last year. Regulators note a pattern of chronic safety lapses, ranging from inadequate site supervision to aggressive sub-contracting chains. While the firm denies systemic issues, the ministry has already suspended 14 on-going elevated contracts and hinted at a potential blacklist entry that would freeze its access to new state projects.

Impact on commuters and businesses

Service Update:

• The section between KM 28 and KM 32 on Rama II Road is closed; motorists should use frontage roads on either side.

• BMTA bus routes 81 and 159 are rerouted via Phuttha Monthon Road.

• Additional ferry crossings from Mahachai Pier to Pak Khlong San are available.

• Travelers should allow up to two extra hours for their journeys.

For residents of Bangkok’s western suburbs, Rama II is the only realistic link to the Southern Seaboard. The shutdown forces up to 120,000 vehicles/day onto frontage roads, stretching a normal 35-minute drive into a 2-hour crawl. Logistics companies moving seafood from Mahachai, holiday-makers bound for the Gulf coast, and micro-business owners shipping via Lad Krabang Port all report surging fuel bills and late deliveries. Even after debris removal, engineers must stress-test the remaining spans, meaning rolling lane closures will haunt motorists for weeks.

Engineering community pushes for overhaul

Civil-engineering leaders argue the collapse is a symptom of a wider regulatory vacuum. Proposals now on the table include:

• Compulsory registration of launching gantries and a QR-code inspection log accessible to the public.

• Caps on sub-contract tiers to curb the race to the bottom in pricing.

• Mandatory independent audits before any overnight lift.

Professor Amorn Pimarnmas, who heads the Structural Engineers Association of Thailand, insists the only cure is to pause national projects, rewrite standards, and openly penalise rogue operators – “no more quiet settlements,” he says.

What happens next?

The Department of Highways vows to reopen all lanes inside 2 weeks but local traders are sceptical, pointing to the slow removal of the 300-ton gantry frame. Insurance teams are still tallying damage, while families of the deceased navigate compensation claims that could climb past ฿20 million once loss-of-income calculations are included. For commuters, the incident underscores the need for improved transparency, training and technology upgrades in Thailand’s infrastructure projects. Until then, overhead cranes pose a potential safety risk on busy roads.