PHUKET: The holiday island is to gain its first traffic flyovers, a senior Transport Department official declared yesterday in announcing a new deadline for the ban on motorcycles using the Phuket underpass.
The flyovers would cost 200 million baht and go at the Koh Kaew u-turn bottleneck and the airport road t-junction with Thepkasattri Road, said Deputy Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith.
For years, Phuket's future planners have insisted that traffic construction on Phuket should all be underpasses so that the holiday island disguised the fact it was actually a Bangkok-style city.
The two flyovers break the mold.
Khun Arkhom also said that tenders were being sought for the 570-million baht Chalong Circle underpass and the 600-million baht underpass where Thepkasattri Road meets the bypass road.
Construction would begin as soon as contracts were signed, he said.
Khun Arkhom visited the underpass at the Tesco Lotus intersection on the bypass road and said construction was behind but still scheduled to be completed late this year and opened early next year.
He also announced May 15 as a deadline for motorcyclists who have continued to attempt to use the newly-opened Central Festival Phuket underpass despite a ban on two and three-wheel vehicles.
''Police will begin to impose 1000 baht fines to those who fail to obey the signage,'' he said. ''It's too dangerous to have motorcycles and sam laew motorcycles with sidecars using the underpass.''
A forager on a sam laew recently became the first crash victim in the underpass when a truck sideswiped his vehicle inside the underpass.
He was believed to be attempting a u-turn. Fortunately, his injuries were minor.
The flyovers would cost 200 million baht and go at the Koh Kaew u-turn bottleneck and the airport road t-junction with Thepkasattri Road, said Deputy Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith.
For years, Phuket's future planners have insisted that traffic construction on Phuket should all be underpasses so that the holiday island disguised the fact it was actually a Bangkok-style city.
The two flyovers break the mold.
Khun Arkhom also said that tenders were being sought for the 570-million baht Chalong Circle underpass and the 600-million baht underpass where Thepkasattri Road meets the bypass road.
Construction would begin as soon as contracts were signed, he said.
Khun Arkhom visited the underpass at the Tesco Lotus intersection on the bypass road and said construction was behind but still scheduled to be completed late this year and opened early next year.
He also announced May 15 as a deadline for motorcyclists who have continued to attempt to use the newly-opened Central Festival Phuket underpass despite a ban on two and three-wheel vehicles.
''Police will begin to impose 1000 baht fines to those who fail to obey the signage,'' he said. ''It's too dangerous to have motorcycles and sam laew motorcycles with sidecars using the underpass.''
A forager on a sam laew recently became the first crash victim in the underpass when a truck sideswiped his vehicle inside the underpass.
He was believed to be attempting a u-turn. Fortunately, his injuries were minor.
Overpasses! Good news! They will hide partly the ugly 'condo-high' bill boards along the road. Wish they reconsider Chalong Circle as well, with all its's bill boards to hide by a fly over.
Posted by Kurt on May 3, 2015 08:28