Bang Na Expressway facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bang Na – Bang Phli – Bang Pakong Expressway |
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The Bang Na Expressway is one of the longest bridges in the world.
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| Route information | |
| Length | 55 km (34 mi) |
| Existed | January 2000–present |
| Major junctions | |
| From | Bang Na |
| To | Bang Pakong |
| Highway system | |
| Template:Infobox road/browselinks/THA | |
The Bang Na Expressway, also known as the Burapha Withi Expressway, is a very long, six-lane highway in Thailand. It stretches for 55 kilometers (about 34 miles) and is built high above the ground. This type of road is called an elevated highway. It's also a toll road, which means drivers pay a small fee to use it.
This impressive road runs over National Highway 34, which is also known as the Bang Na–Trat Highway. The Expressway Authority of Thailand (EXAT) is in charge of this road. The idea for the Bang Na Expressway came from Sukavich Rangsitpol, who was a deputy prime minister in Thailand. The famous engineer Louis Berger designed this massive structure, which was completed in January 2000.
Building the Bang Na Expressway
Building such a huge road was a big project! The Expressway and Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (ETA) first thought of the idea. The Bang Na Expressway was built using a special method called "design-build." This means the same team designed and built the project.
The main parts of the bridge, like the columns and the top structure, were designed by Jean M. Muller from the U.S. The path of the road and its foundations were designed by Asian Engineering Consultants from Thailand. The Louis Berger Group (U.S.) was the engineer who checked all the work.
The actual construction was done by a team from Germany, Bilfinger & Berger, and a company from Thailand, Ch. Karnchang. It took a massive amount of concrete to build this road – about 1,800,000 cubic meters (2,354,600 cubic yards)! The entire project was finished in January 2000.
World Records
When it was completed in 2000, the Bang Na Expressway was the longest bridge in the world that cars could drive on. It held this amazing record for eight years, until 2008. Today, it is still one of the longest bridges on Earth, ranking as the seventh longest bridge in the world.
How the Road is Built
The Bang Na Expressway is an elevated highway, meaning it's lifted high above the ground on a structure called a viaduct. A viaduct is like a long bridge made of many sections. Each section of the Bang Na Expressway is about 42 meters (138 feet) long.
The road itself is 27 meters (89 feet) wide. It's built using a strong design called a box girder bridge. This means the main support beams are shaped like hollow boxes, which makes them very strong and light.
There are two places on the elevated road where it gets wider to make room for twelve lanes of traffic. These wide areas are where the toll plazas are located. A toll plaza is where drivers stop to pay the fee to use the road. The system for collecting tolls was set up by a company called Kapsch TrafficCom AB from Sweden.
See also
- List of bridges by length
- List of bridge megaprojects
- Expressway
