PHUKET: The opening of the new bridge linking Phuket to mainland Thailand has been postponed to a date to be fixed.
The Director of Phuket Highways, Arun Sanae, told Phuketwan today that heavy rain had delayed constuction and the project would not be ready to open as scheduled on July 20.
''It's sad but there is nothing we can do about the weather,'' he said.
At present, motorists leaving the island are being diverted onto the Thepkasattri Bridge, which in normal circumstances carried one-way traffic onto Phuket from the neighboring province of Phang Nga.
Work on the new bridge at a cost of 377 million baht began on June 30, 2009. It replaces Sarasin Bridge, the one-way link off Phuket.
As the new unnamed bridge is being constructed, the central portion of the Sarasin Bridge is being lifted so that yachts can pass underneath without lowering masts. The development is expected to be a boon for Phuket's east coast marinas, enabling faster sailing between Phang Nga Bay and the Andaman Sea.
The Sarasin Bridge, popular with anglers and with many romantic associations with Phuket's history, will be turned into a tourist attraction. The raised central section will be topped by a sala and allow visitors to enjoy excellent views towards the Andaman, especially at sunset.
Businesses on the small beaches at either end of the three bridges are expected to benefit as Phuket's road entry and exit point becomes a place where some visitors will stop to enjoy their first or last Phuket sunset.
The Director of Phuket Highways, Arun Sanae, told Phuketwan today that heavy rain had delayed constuction and the project would not be ready to open as scheduled on July 20.
''It's sad but there is nothing we can do about the weather,'' he said.
At present, motorists leaving the island are being diverted onto the Thepkasattri Bridge, which in normal circumstances carried one-way traffic onto Phuket from the neighboring province of Phang Nga.
Work on the new bridge at a cost of 377 million baht began on June 30, 2009. It replaces Sarasin Bridge, the one-way link off Phuket.
As the new unnamed bridge is being constructed, the central portion of the Sarasin Bridge is being lifted so that yachts can pass underneath without lowering masts. The development is expected to be a boon for Phuket's east coast marinas, enabling faster sailing between Phang Nga Bay and the Andaman Sea.
The Sarasin Bridge, popular with anglers and with many romantic associations with Phuket's history, will be turned into a tourist attraction. The raised central section will be topped by a sala and allow visitors to enjoy excellent views towards the Andaman, especially at sunset.
Businesses on the small beaches at either end of the three bridges are expected to benefit as Phuket's road entry and exit point becomes a place where some visitors will stop to enjoy their first or last Phuket sunset.
"It's sad but there is nothing we can do about the weather"
Aside from like 2 wet days at the end of last week, the weather during the low season has been great, can't use the weather as an excuse! or maybe it's too hot and the workers need to take siestas?
Posted by Jamie on July 18, 2011 14:36
Editor Comment:
Inferences of slackness and siestas without evidence seem unjustified and unfair to me, given that the contract probably stipulates when the bridge needs to be finished and the builder has a good reputation. Isn't it it a characteristic of Phuket's weather, Jamie, that you may have only had a few wet days in the south on the west coast, while another part of the island could have had two or three times that much? Half the bridge is in Phang Nga. Perhaps Phang Nga's weather has been far, far wetter.