PHUKET: A local council that has a vital role to play in the makeover that will put an underpass beneath Chalong Circle snubbed an important meeting today.

At the meeting, Governor Nisit Jansomwong and others on the Phuket Transport Committee heard that 100 electricity poles now needed to be moved and that the cooperation of the local council was needed.

The team digging the underpass had reached the stage where ditches had been prepared so water would flow beside the project but again, the cooperation of the council was needed to ensure that water flowed away from the construction site.

Project planners admit that traffic holdups can be expected once the dig begins but have suggested alternate routes for motorists looking to turn left from Rawai towards Kata-Karon, motorists looking to transfer from Chao Fa Road West to Kata-Karon and for Chao Fa West motorists looking to switch to Chao Fa East.

Discussing the bypass road-Thepkasattri Road underpass construction, police have suggested that motorists caught in traffic heading north might actually prefer to keep moving by turning left into the bypass road, then taking a u-turn to flow back to Thepkasattri Road where they would then turn left again.

The theory takes into account human nature - that some people in traffic prefer to keep moving, even slowly, rather than be stationary for a period of time.

Governor Nisit said he thought the idea was probably worth trying and also gave his approval to the three alternate routed proposed for Chalong Circle.