A SHORTCUT to Patong from Chalong and the dangerous downhill road from Kata-Karon to Chalong Circle - two of the biggest problems that Phuket motorists face are in the process of being fixed.
The Chalong-Patong shortcut has reached the stage where the proposal has been through an environmental impact study and is now awaiting the go-ahead.
The downhill twists from Kata-Karon that have claimed lives and vehicles over the years are definitely going.
They will be wiped out in a 30 million baht project that will replace two dangerous kilometres with a safer, less steep open road.
Motorists will heave a sigh of relief about that. But it's the Chalong-Patong shortcut they will want to know even more about.
At present, from Chalong Circle, drivers face the daunting prospect of a long and winding route to Patong, whether they go past the Green Man Pub and via Karon, or all the way in to Phuket City and turn left at Central Festival.
What's now on the table and revealed here by Phuketwan is a dramatic saving in time and gas that takes motorists in a direct route between Patong and Chalong - a trip of a mere six kilometres.
Uphill from the Green Man, the dangerous twisting road will go under repair from April or May, with a completion date not scheduled.
The roadway will be widened to eight metres and proper curbing installed.
The shortcut, meanwhile, is seen as highly desirable by practically everyone.
The route would extend and broaden a local road that currently runs beside the new Phunaka Golf Course, which is due to be formally opened on August 8.
The local road that would become the shortcut is one along from the road that leads to Wat Luangpoo Supa.
However, because the extension would need to rise above the 80 metre limit, an exception would be required under current legislation, which prohibits new roads above that height.
Until that decision is made, motorists will continue to have a choice when travelling between Patong and Chalong: take long, slow route A, or long, slow route B.
The one-kilometre tunnel under Patong Hill is also still being considered. It's now the subject of a definitive one-year study.
The Chalong-Patong shortcut has reached the stage where the proposal has been through an environmental impact study and is now awaiting the go-ahead.
The downhill twists from Kata-Karon that have claimed lives and vehicles over the years are definitely going.
They will be wiped out in a 30 million baht project that will replace two dangerous kilometres with a safer, less steep open road.
Motorists will heave a sigh of relief about that. But it's the Chalong-Patong shortcut they will want to know even more about.
At present, from Chalong Circle, drivers face the daunting prospect of a long and winding route to Patong, whether they go past the Green Man Pub and via Karon, or all the way in to Phuket City and turn left at Central Festival.
What's now on the table and revealed here by Phuketwan is a dramatic saving in time and gas that takes motorists in a direct route between Patong and Chalong - a trip of a mere six kilometres.
Uphill from the Green Man, the dangerous twisting road will go under repair from April or May, with a completion date not scheduled.
The roadway will be widened to eight metres and proper curbing installed.
The shortcut, meanwhile, is seen as highly desirable by practically everyone.
The route would extend and broaden a local road that currently runs beside the new Phunaka Golf Course, which is due to be formally opened on August 8.
The local road that would become the shortcut is one along from the road that leads to Wat Luangpoo Supa.
However, because the extension would need to rise above the 80 metre limit, an exception would be required under current legislation, which prohibits new roads above that height.
Until that decision is made, motorists will continue to have a choice when travelling between Patong and Chalong: take long, slow route A, or long, slow route B.
The one-kilometre tunnel under Patong Hill is also still being considered. It's now the subject of a definitive one-year study.
It's kerbing
Posted by Richard Shepherd on March 7, 2008 15:00