Phuket Airport underpass steams ahead

Tanyaluk Sakoot

 

 

PHUKET: Construction of the B500-million underpass being built at the busy turn-off to head toward Phuket International Airport is well ahead of schedule for completion, the Project Manager at the Phuket office of the Highways Department has confirmed.

 

“The overall project is 61% complete, about 23.4% ahead of schedule,” Phuket Highways Office Project Manager Somkiet Yimpong told The Phuket News yesterday (May 25).

 

“The underpass is well ahead of schedule. However, the project deadline remains unchanged from June 17, 2019,” Mr Somkiet noted.

Full story: https://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-airport-underpass-steams-ahead-67264.php#M05RCELUF4tq6sPU.97

 

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2018-05-26

 

 

This is a bit like the honest taxi driver returns wallet story.

I think this is being done by the same company as the underpass project at Central and the very difficult junction at Thepkassetri and Bypass road. The first of those was problematic but the juction was done very well, so not surprising that  this current job is actually ahead of schedule, extremely unusual for anything in Phuket eg. the Chalong Circle mess.

I am interested to see just how many lanes THB 500 million gets you these days ....... looks like only one.

 

The other miracle 3 lane underpass, that was a potential deathtrap, was unceremoniously divided by ugly concrete blocks to become .... just two lanes - one each way.

6 hours ago, IamNoone88 said:

I am interested to see just how many lanes THB 500 million gets you these days ....... looks like only one.

 

The other miracle 3 lane underpass, that was a potential deathtrap, was unceremoniously divided by ugly concrete blocks to become .... just two lanes - one each way.

Progress, eh- who needs it?

I know it has been raised before but why on an island lacking full and proper infrastructure which is prone to regular flooding do the powers that be keep giving the nod for underpasses? Is it just the short term money thing really?? I am no civil engineer but surely overpasesses would be a lot more cost effective, safer and quicker to construct and allow more traffic flow by retaining ground level highways...

17 minutes ago, Lokie said:

I know it has been raised before but why on an island lacking full and proper infrastructure which is prone to regular flooding do the powers that be keep giving the nod for underpasses? Is it just the short term money thing really?? I am no civil engineer but surely overpasesses would be a lot more cost effective, safer and quicker to construct and allow more traffic flow by retaining ground level highways...

Apparently, underpasses do not divide a community as do widened roadways or overpasses. An underpass can be built over. Every article I have read on the subject emphasizes that wide roadways act as an obstacle and the consensus has been to bury traffic flow.

7 hours ago, Lokie said:

I know it has been raised before but why on an island lacking full and proper infrastructure which is prone to regular flooding do the powers that be keep giving the nod for underpasses? Is it just the short term money thing really?? I am no civil engineer but surely overpasesses would be a lot more cost effective, safer and quicker to construct and allow more traffic flow by retaining ground level highways...

Aesthetic reasons. And I asked a guest, so far from a reliable survey, and to my surprise she said tunnels are far better than flyovers would be on a tropical island.

So, the Airport Underpass is ahead of schedule, 63% complete and will be completed by June 2019.

 

The Chalong Underpass is behind schedule, 45% complete and is will be completed by April 2019.

 

Is the first understated or is the second delusional? I think I know the answer!

On 5/26/2018 at 11:43 PM, geriatrickid said:

Apparently, underpasses do not divide a community as do widened roadways or overpasses. An underpass can be built over. Every article I have read on the subject emphasizes that wide roadways act as an obstacle and the consensus has been to bury traffic flow.

I might almost buy into that logic, if weren't for the 8 lane wide road in Thalang with pedestrian bridges as well as other pedestrian bridges all over the island and turn arounds everywhere...

Complete waste of time.

On 5/27/2018 at 9:44 AM, madmitch said:

So, the Airport Underpass is ahead of schedule, 63% complete and will be completed by June 2019.

 

The Chalong Underpass is behind schedule, 45% complete and is will be completed by April 2019.

 

Is the first understated or is the second delusional? I think I know the answer!

Feel free to take a drive up there and have a look- they are working hard on the airport one. I have been through there once a week for the past 5 weeks and experienced no traffic delays either.

 

I can actually see people using it before next June if you care to place a bet.

2 hours ago, Psimbo said:

Feel free to take a drive up there and have a look- they are working hard on the airport one. I have been through there once a week for the past 5 weeks and experienced no traffic delays either.

 

I can actually see people using it before next June if you care to place a bet.

I'm with you and that's actually what I tried to say. Probably understated was the wrong word.

And the place crying out for a Tunnel or Underpass that is Patong Hill will have its 'quarterly average' share of carnage with not much change to all peoples safety... We about due a run-a-way Tour Bus or Cement Mixer anytime (I hope I am wrong)