PHUKET: Contracts are due to be signed and work started on two major underpasses on Phuket next Tuesday, marking the latest phase in taming the holiday island's traffic.
A paperwork start to the Bang Khu underpass (597 million baht) and the Chalong Circle underpass (550 million baht) indicates that before 2018 all four of Phuket's key hubs should be more efficient, leaving only the fifth, the Heroines Monument Circle, entirely above ground.
The Chalong Circle underpass, from Viset Road to Chao Fa Road West, will take 780 days but contract winner CEC Ltd still has to engage local authorities and residents in a series of meetings to assuage any concerns about the project.
The Bang Khu underpass, carrying the traffic proceeding north-south beneath the right-hand turners into the bypass road, known officially as Chalermprakiat Ror 9, will take 780 days with Ital-Thai having passed environmental hurdles.
However, project officials disclosed to Phuketwan today, more intimate contact with local residents will be required because access will become more difficult to houses and some existing footpaths are to disappear.
Phuket's first underpass, which carries bypass road traffic flowing north and south beneath the Central Festival Phuket intersection, appears to have been a boon that helps travellers get where they need to get a little faster.
Critics are still awaiting any major floods or crashes in the tunnel, although there have been a few minor incidents.
One kilometre down the road at the Tesco Lotus intersection, work is behind original completion dates and is now expected to finish in October, with a formal opening due in early 2016.
For now, the detours appear to have been adopted by Phuket motorists and few complaints are being made.
When the island's authorities were offered the choice of underpasses or flyovers, they chose the more expensive and more difficult option because they figured a tropical holiday island did not need Bangkok-style flyovers.
Going underground, they decided, at least kept the major roads on the urbanised isle looking different.
The Bang Khu tunnel with its ramps will take out a stretch of two kilometres. How will diversions work? Can tourists still get to and from Phuket International Airport in time to catch their flights?
From the moment that the contracts are signed next Tuesday, the island's motorists will all begin asking that question: ''How long before our lives are filled with sunshine again?''
A paperwork start to the Bang Khu underpass (597 million baht) and the Chalong Circle underpass (550 million baht) indicates that before 2018 all four of Phuket's key hubs should be more efficient, leaving only the fifth, the Heroines Monument Circle, entirely above ground.
The Chalong Circle underpass, from Viset Road to Chao Fa Road West, will take 780 days but contract winner CEC Ltd still has to engage local authorities and residents in a series of meetings to assuage any concerns about the project.
The Bang Khu underpass, carrying the traffic proceeding north-south beneath the right-hand turners into the bypass road, known officially as Chalermprakiat Ror 9, will take 780 days with Ital-Thai having passed environmental hurdles.
However, project officials disclosed to Phuketwan today, more intimate contact with local residents will be required because access will become more difficult to houses and some existing footpaths are to disappear.
Phuket's first underpass, which carries bypass road traffic flowing north and south beneath the Central Festival Phuket intersection, appears to have been a boon that helps travellers get where they need to get a little faster.
Critics are still awaiting any major floods or crashes in the tunnel, although there have been a few minor incidents.
One kilometre down the road at the Tesco Lotus intersection, work is behind original completion dates and is now expected to finish in October, with a formal opening due in early 2016.
For now, the detours appear to have been adopted by Phuket motorists and few complaints are being made.
When the island's authorities were offered the choice of underpasses or flyovers, they chose the more expensive and more difficult option because they figured a tropical holiday island did not need Bangkok-style flyovers.
Going underground, they decided, at least kept the major roads on the urbanised isle looking different.
The Bang Khu tunnel with its ramps will take out a stretch of two kilometres. How will diversions work? Can tourists still get to and from Phuket International Airport in time to catch their flights?
From the moment that the contracts are signed next Tuesday, the island's motorists will all begin asking that question: ''How long before our lives are filled with sunshine again?''
Another waste of public money.. Isn't enough to see how much are useless the underpasses in Central and Tesco-Lotus: already by some kind of big round circle the traffic in Tesco-Lotus is disappear while the cars coming out from underpass to Chalong have to stay in queue due to a series of traffic lights that arrive pratically to Chalong. Some big and efficent round circle with a very small cost would have reached the same goal. Now the mother of all stupid ideas: the underpass in Chalong. Instead of diverting the traffic in a more cleaver way the next 3 year will be a nightmare for all residents after Chalong. Another fatal blow to the tourism already agonizing. Instead of using the budget to clean the beaches that look really a big dump site and renovate the road, all things that tourist like, we are going to see the worst of Thailand: more and more traffic in a big mess...
Posted by dave on July 21, 2015 23:09