Phuket set to be transformed and "safer" with Kathu to Patong road tunnel

[webfact]

Phuket set to be transformed and "safer" with Kathu to Patong road tunnel

 

Pictures (2) Manager Online

 

The Thai government is confident that Phuket will be transformed with the coming of the 13.9 billion baht tunnel and elevated road linking Kathu with Patong beach.

 

Minister Arkhom Termpithayaphaisit indicated that the new road would be safer and more convenient.

 

The two tunnels are set to burrow through the mountainside at a distance of 1.85 kilometers.

 

The current over the mountain route 4029 is recognized as one of the province's most deadly roads.

 

There will also be a 1.23km elevated section and toll booths. The cost of using the road was not announced in the Manager story.

 

Both roads will be four lanes wide with two for cars and two for motorcycles.

 

Arkhom said that an initial environmental impact study has indicated the project can go ahead as planned.

 

 

Now comes the financing with the government trying to entice the private sector with a series of incentives.

 

One is to extend the franchise period to attract investors to the project.

 

The time frame for completion of the project was not reported.

 

Source: Manager Online

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2018-07-31

[schlog]

Only can hope the contract will go to the same company which is digging the Chalong underpass since ages.

 

Completion of the Patong tunnel will be 2090-2100.

[Old Croc]

The second pic seems to indicate they will be driving on the right when entering. I don't see anything good coming from that!

 

[LivinginKata]

13 minutes ago, Old Croc said:

The second pic seems to indicate they will be driving on the right when entering. I don't see anything good coming from that!

 

 Yes - can't even get the planned idea correct. .

[quadperfect]

No one will pay a toll. Its failed already. Next?

[sebastion]

No one will pay a toll. Its failed already. Next?

Taxis will charge double the toll and return to their passengers. Watch the fares rise to 2000 baht.

Sent from my EVA-L19 using Tapatalk

[Psimbo]

If this EVER happens in the next 20 years I will buy a hat and eat it. Cloud cuckoo land.

 

I also take umbrage that this is 'one of the provinces most dangerous roads'. There's nothing wrong with the road- its the lack of driving skills. I can safely manage the hill in 3rd gear when there are no others in front of me but have struggled at times to get over in 1st due to incompetent drivers who can't handle anything more taxing than a straight flat road.

Edited July 31, 2018 by Psimbo

[beechbum]

lol...If it does go ahead, so happy to not live in Patong ?

[swerve]

52 minutes ago, beechbum said:

lol...If it does go ahead, so happy to not live in Patong ?

So happy not to live in Patong already. ?

[arithai12]

"the new road would be safer "

 

do they mean that no tourist vans driven by maniacs and no lorries with failing brakes will be allowed, and that there will be an alcohol test before entering the tunnel?

 

 

 

 

[Deli]

Reducing the number of Chinese tourists and with that automatically the number of busses and incompetent drivers crossing the hill, would help a lot already, be much easier and give relief to many.

But the plan seems to be the opposite. 

[IamNoone88]

Just like the 3 line deathtrap Central underpass that was a disaster and is now a heavily divided 2 lane underpass............ been talking about this Patong tunnel for the past 15 years! Now thats progress.

[Destiny1990]

Well Phuket does needs more roads..

[thaistocks]

Wow, all that negativity here that's what's negative. There are already less Chinese buses now.  Besides the Chalong intersection still in proress,  just about all other bypass roads have been completed, as has the new Airport. Central World is about to open in Q4, its biggest yet in the South and Phuket town is better then ever.

[Old Croc]

7 minutes ago, thaistocks said:

 There are already less Chinese buses now. 

I would like to hope that statement is correct, but fear it is not.

We even had a lost bus full of Chinese come down our narrow soi a couple of weeks ago and spend about 1/2 an hour effecting a 63 point turn to get out again.

I would like to know if there is indeed less buses, or just a perception that there are fewer arrivals since the drownings? 

[thaistocks]

The month of July saw a large drop off in Chinese tourists, due to boat horror accident.  In time many white bus Chinese tourists will find Phuket just too expensive and go somewhere else.  Cheap charlies' may not pay the tunnel toll, others will be more then happy to so to avoid the death hill road.

 

[Old Croc]

19 hours ago, schlog said:

Only can hope the contract will go to the same company which is digging the Chalong underpass since ages.

 

Completion of the Patong tunnel will be 2090-2100.

Yes, I'm not sure if plonking down a concrete roof and getting a couple of Burmese men with shovels to dig underneath would work on this one.

[Old Croc]

6 minutes ago, thaistocks said:

The month of July saw a large drop off in Chinese tourists, due to boat horror accident.  In time many white bus Chinese tourists will find Phuket just too expensive and go somewhere else.  Cheap charlies' may not pay the tunnel toll, others will be more then happy to so to avoid the death hill road.

 

OK.

I'm just surprised that arrival figures for July are already available.

Your long range forecasts may or may not come true, I'm hoping you're right.

[steelepulse]

Can't see too many people paying the tolls and I can't see this bringing in an ROI for private investors over the investors lifetime.  Maybe their great grand kids will some a positive ROI.

 

I'm sure though some baht changed hands to kick the idea around some more. Studies and planning are always good earners.

[madmitch]

There's no funding yet. Same for the light rail.

 

Still convinced neither will happen.

[Valentine]

I would say they have been talking about this tunnel for at least 20 years. Various committees have delved into the ins & outs with quite large sums of money already spent. This will continue to drag on as the vested interests & local communities get involved in wanting their share. There was no time frame set.

[thaistocks]

OK, SteelPulse if say say so.  Before Lotus, BIG C and other mega stores started here in year 2002, the same lame ducks made similar comments:  It won't happen, there is no need for it etc..similar with 7/11... Then some 20  years ago similar acclaimed Phuket does not need any great/expensive coffee (and its machines) as "in the tropics nobody drinks hot coffee". Similar with bicycles where 10-15 years ago fewest were around, it was "no good due to it being too hot to bicycle".  Yet now very popular for some time already.  Same with off track jungle hiking...where we were told nobody goes hiking off track here. The detox clinics where the first to rebuff hiking off trail here.  Yet, if you attend an HHH-Phuket, its grown leaps with often hundreds showing up every Saturday  yes to hike, yes in the jungle.

[thaistocks]

There are more examples, point being, there is a long history of expert-expats living here getting it dead wrong, again and again...so I won't bet on the tunnel not happening, at last.

[Mises]

They need to sort out the grid lock and daft U turns at Heroines first.

Meanwhile an underpass is being built at the airport turn where there was no need for it.

[LivinginKata]

3 hours ago, thaistocks said:

Wow, all that negativity here that's what's negative. There are already less Chinese buses now.  Besides the Chalong intersection still in proress,  just about all other bypass roads have been completed, as has the new Airport. Central World is about to open in Q4, its biggest yet in the South and Phuket town is better then ever.

 

I  don't see less Chinese buses and see more Russian buses. And this is low low season ... 

[Psimbo]

2 hours ago, steelepulse said:

Can't see too many people paying the tolls and I can't see this bringing in an ROI for private investors over the investors lifetime.  Maybe their great grand kids will some a positive ROI.

 

I'm sure though some baht changed hands to kick the idea around some more. Studies and planning are always good earners.

B40m for the 'feasibility study' IIRC. Certain people will make tons of money off the land purchases then it will quietly fade away.

 

This whole farce has been about lining pockets- it will never be built.

Edited August 1, 2018 by Psimbo

[GR8fun in LOS]

9 minutes ago, Psimbo said:

2 hours ago, steelepulse said:

Can't see too many people paying the tolls and I can't see this bringing in an ROI for private investors over the investors lifetime.  Maybe their great grand kids will some a positive ROI.

 

I'm sure though some baht changed hands to kick the idea around some more. Studies and planning are always good earners.

B40m for the 'feasibility study' IIRC. Certain people will make tons of money off the land purchases then it will quietly fade away.

 

This whole farce has been about lining pockets- it will never be built.

I cannot but agree - GR8 plan to generate a regular cash flow for the few whilst doing nothing for the majority.  If these wonderful tunnels do appear, with the traffic entering and exiting on the correct sides of the road; where will the increased traffic flow go?
The majority of the traffic going "over the hill" does not intend staying in Patong but go onto other beaches along the west coast. Why not direct traffic to those different locations and not create a new traffic congestion point in Patong rather than Kathu.
Just another bonus for the BS spreading clowns who try to run "Patong City" another misnomer.

[Felt 35]

11 hours ago, thaistocks said:

There are more examples, point being, there is a long history of expert-expats living here getting it dead wrong, again and again...so I won't bet on the tunnel not happening, at last.

Don't get me wrong the tunnel will probably be constructed just as the Thepkasatri racetrack  and the "safety of driving faster" in a straight lane through underpasses all over the island but are our life actually safer and better.....I did not hear about mass drowning's 25 + years ago nor did the authorities see it as a problem to inform the public about monthly or annual traffic accident statistics and it didn't take a half day to reach the airport with any transport vechicle  from Thalang road, btw, nor did Thalang road look as the Grand Bazar in Istanbul that time. But if your life feels better now than 20 years ago.......well great, then I guess Singapore is your dream but don't count in everyone in that dream because some of us come here and was happy with at that time a relative relaxed tropical Island ?

[Lingba]

more safer???...that's a laugh!!...since when does a tunnel make it safer to drive in Phuket?...and stupid selfish idiotic drivers who fail to take responsibility doesn't?...so happy I left that shithole

[Old Croc]

3 hours ago, Lingba said:

more safer???...that's a laugh!!...since when does a tunnel make it safer to drive in Phuket?...and stupid selfish idiotic drivers who fail to take responsibility doesn't?...so happy I left that shithole

Presumably you're now in a part of Thailand where the drivers are smart, altruistic and ever ready to put their hand up to take the blame when things go awry?

Silly me, I always thought the road carnage was a nation wide thing, not just centered on this one Province.

Incidentally if the tunnel is ever dug, it will take heavy vehicles away from the dangerous, hilly, twisting road over the mountain which is the current main entry into the very busy tourist town of Patong. It would certainly make the journey safer.

 

I'm sure many people who knew you here share your sentiment relating to your departure.