Pathum Thani Municipality Takes Over Highway Maintenance Duties
Bang Ku Wad Municipality has taken over maintenance of Highway 345, including street lighting and median upkeep, allowing faster response to safety issues at an accident-prone intersection near Pattharanee housing estate.
Pathum Thani — Local officials celebrated a new partnership in which Bang Ku Wad Municipality will assume responsibility for street lighting and median island upkeep on Highway 345, boosting the municipality's capacity to respond quickly to maintenance needs. On August 19, Nophadol Laddayaem, a former Pathum Thani Provincial Council member, visited Bang Ku Wad Municipality with media to review progress following a memorandum of understanding signed on December 22, 2024, between the municipality and the Nonthaburi Highway Branch of the Department of Highways. The agreement transfers Highway 345 at kilometer 7+705 within the municipality's jurisdiction, tasking local officials with landscaping improvements, sidewalk maintenance, drainage repairs, and street lighting upkeep.
Laddayaem praised the Department of Highways for decentralizing maintenance responsibilities to local authorities, noting that municipalities have direct access to problem areas and can resolve issues faster. Bang Ku Wad Municipality's tasks include weed control on medians and roadsides, electrical pole and street light repairs, and drainage and road surface inspections. "This is not merely about tidiness and appearance," Laddayaem said, "but about direct safety — improving visibility, reducing accident hotspots, and eliminating dark areas that may invite crime, especially overgrown grass and obscured views."
Bang Ku Wad Municipality Mayor Monthiphipat Emcharas revealed that officials visited an entrance to Pattharanee housing estate, a frequent accident hotspot due to high traffic volume and vehicles cutting across lanes. The municipality is coordinating with the highway branch and traffic police to improve the intersection, install warning signs, traffic signals, and clear road markings to maximize safety. By taking on these duties, the municipality can respond faster to maintenance needs and improve road safety and quality of life for residents. The memorandum, signed December 22, 2024, formally transfers Highway 345 maintenance responsibilities to Bang Ku Wad Municipality within its jurisdiction, covering landscape improvements, sidewalk repairs, drainage maintenance, and street lighting.
