Transport
Bang Khu Wat Municipality Takes Over Highway Maintenance to Improve Local Safety
Following a 2025 agreement, Bang Khu Wat Municipality is now managing the maintenance of highway infrastructure, including lighting and landscaping, to enhance local responsiveness.
On August 19, 2026, former Pathum Thani Provincial Council member Noppadol Ladda-yaem, known as 'Sor Jor Tui,' visited Bang Khu Wat Municipality to review the progress of a local infrastructure management initiative. This follows a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed on December 22, 2025, between the municipality and the Nonthaburi Highway District.
Under this agreement, the Department of Highways transferred the responsibility for maintaining a section of Highway 345 (starting at km 7+705) to the local government. The municipality is now tasked with managing landscaping, clearing weeds on road medians and shoulders, maintaining street lighting, and inspecting drainage systems and road surfaces.
For residents and travelers, this shift is significant as it aims to improve road safety and visibility. By decentralizing these tasks, the local government can address maintenance issues more rapidly than the central department, as they are closer to the site and more familiar with specific local needs. While the initiative is currently being highlighted as a model for local efficiency, it remains to be seen how this decentralized maintenance model will be scaled or sustained across other regions in Pathum Thani. The project emphasizes that well-maintained infrastructure is essential not only for aesthetic order but for the direct safety of all road users.