News Forum - Major sinkhole swallows lorry causing traffic chaos on Sukhumvit Road, Bangkok

[Thaiger]

A major sinkhole swallowed a ten-wheeler lorry almost whole, at the entrance of Sukhumvit Soi 64/1, injuring two people. The incident happened today at 11.35am on Sukhumvit Road, where the sinkhole had formed. The resulting damage caused significant traffic disruption over three lanes, with congestion stretching as far as Bang Na. The initial reports indicate … …

The story Major sinkhole swallows lorry causing traffic chaos on Sukhumvit Road, Bangkok as seen on Thaiger News.

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[Ray]

Not a sinkhole but a temporary cover over utilities works being carried out under the road surface.

Some question about whether the lorry was overweight and broke the supports for the cover.

[Smiler]

Sinkhole?? Like already mentioned it was a cover that had collapsed either the people who installed the cover are to blame or the lorry was way overweight, it attracted a large crowd most of the day.

[TWS60]

Photo certainly matches the observations above ^.   

Many years ago, attempting to park (at night) along a major city boulevard, our front left tire hit a smooth looking patch of dirt that ran alongside the curb about 5 meters.  Down we went.  It  looked intentionally swept and tidy and likely solid given it was on such a busy roadway in the city.  No. Loose sand/dirt covering an open work trench a meter or so deep.  Not a piece of caution tape or orange traffic cone in sight. 

The one always in the front of my mind are the steel grate covers for water drains in the middle of small sois in my area.  I try to avoid them by straddling the center line if/when possible, but most times envision one of them giving way someday.   Of course I'd do my Thai civic duty and jam a length of tree branch into the hole as a warning to other drivers, with a white plastic carrier bag for nighttime visibility. 

[cowslip]

Lorry overweight?? - I think not! - the cover in the middle of a road like that with heavy traffic would be built to carry several truck of that size and a safety margin.

It may be down to poor engineering or possibly a change underneath the structure - e.g. sinkhole.