A temporary bailey bridge on the Yangon-Mawlamyine Highway near Taungkalay Village in Bilin Township, Mon State, has been dismantled, causing traffic to detour around the dirt road next to the bridge, according to the sources.
The temporary bailey bridge was dismantled on February 12, and vehicles have to detour around the dirt road next to the bridge, causing traffic to wait for a long time, a truck driver said.
He continued, “Priority is given to private cars and passenger vehicles. Trucks are allowed to leave once if there are about 20 vehicles. This is how it is.”
He added that the remaining parts of the Ma Saw Bridge, which was destroyed by mine, are being demolished, so it is believed that the bridge is being rebuilt.
According to motorists, some vehicles are traveling on the Thaton-Bilin district roads due to the traffic jam at Ma Saw Bridge.
A resident of Mawlamyine said that while trucks have to wait in turns, private cars and passenger vehicles are allowed to travel as a priority.
He continued, “On February 15, when I was returning from Yangon to Mawlamyine, the line of vehicles waiting to cross the Ma Saw Bridge reached Bilin town. Private cars only had to wait for about an hour. Trucks are reportedly being released in large number after clearing the road.”
In the early morning of May 23, 2024, armed groups destroyed the 106-foot-long, 24-foot-wide Bridge No. (1/130), locally known as Ma Saw Bridge, on the Yangon-Mawlamyine Highway at Taungkalay Village, Shwe Yaung Pya Village Tract, Bilin Township, Mon State, and two-thirds of the Ma Saw Bridge, which was destroyed by the mine, collapsed into the creek.
In addition, three motorcycles fell into a creek under the destroyed Ma Saw Bridge, killing one man and seriously injuring a man and two women, according to social aid organizations.
In 2024, the bridges on the Yangon-Mawlamyine Highway, including the Moe Kaung Bridge near Moe Kaung Village in Thaton Township, were destroyed on February 28, the Kyon Eake Bridge for the second time on May 11 and the Karen Lay Seik Bridge near Karen Lay Seik Village, Moe Kaung Village Tract, Thaton Township, on July 17.
