Motorists asked to ‘drive carefully’ as concrete sheets fall from Chalong Underpass walls

 

One of the concrete ‘sound absorbing’ panels falling from the wall of the Chalong Underpass yesterday (Dec 6) nearly hit a car driving through. Screengrab: Courtesy of ‘Brian from Nai Harn’
 

PHUKET: The chief of the Phuket Highways Office has urged motorists to “drive carefully” while passing through the Chalong Underpass for the next two weeks until a contractor can be called in to prevent more concrete sheets from plunging off the walls into traffic.
 

The issue was brought to The Phuket News’ attention by an expat who was driving northbound through the tunnel at about 4:48pm yesterday when one of the concrete sheets fixed to the wall fell and shattered on the road right in front of his car.

 

The incident was recorded by the car’s dashcam.

Full story: https://www.thephuketnews.com/motorists-asked-to-drive-carefully-as-concrete-sheets-fall-from-chalong-underpass-walls-73917.php#kKXDDprUk8beeCu2.97

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2019-12-08

Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info

so much for these fancy panels. Tunnel not been open that long.

On other planets they would close the underpass and get the contractor on site now, on this one we're instructed to drive more carefully, what's wrong with that picture!

9 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

PHUKET: The chief of the Phuket Highways Office has urged motorists to “drive carefully” while passing through the Chalong Underpass for the next two weeks until a contractor can be called in to prevent more concrete sheets from plunging off the walls into traffic.

TWO WEEKS??????

In some places two hours would be considered excessive. How long does it take to get a competent person on site to inspect the shoddy work and make it safe? It might take a bit of time to remanufacture the panel, but assessing the site and making it safe should not take that time. (Hint: get some spates made at the same time as this will happen again.)

44 minutes ago, Chang_paarp said:

How long does it take to get a competent person on site

This might just be the problem. If they could find competent skilled people the tunnel would not have started to fall apart already

How does one drive carefully as a piece of concrete is crushing his/her car? The bloody thing should be closed!

It's been pretty cold lately for Thailand up north. I wonder what the weather is doing to materials. I had bathroom tiles fall off a couple years ago during a cold spell. This year no problems with them. I guess it's not due to temperatures there but this story reminded me of that.

Drive through as fast as you can, minimize the chance of getting hit by a panel !! 

 

Seriously, close the tunnel before someone is killed.. 

 

Yet there are still a handful of posters on here that cry every time someone states the obvious, Thailand is a 3rd world country... ????

Thai quality tradesmen - they never cease to amaze. 

Nor do the bureacrats with their 'advice' to be happy.

Unbelievable - just unbelievable - but so common.

When. That is all I want to know. When. 

 

 

I would be very concerned if I was driving in the tunnel.typical thai work again it seems falling off allready

If you look at the picture it can be seen the panel came from up high off camera.  With a weight of 15 to 20 kilograms falling 3 or 4 metres that would put a dint in someones car....worse it could cause a knee jerk reaction and a panicked driver steers into oncoming traffic!   No, it's not a big deal to some government official but it sure is to the people using it!

1 hour ago, rooster59 said:

The chief of the Phuket Highways Office has urged motorists to “drive carefully” while passing through the Chalong Underpass for the next two weeks until a contractor can be called in to prevent more concrete sheets from plunging off the walls into traffic.

Once again the 'low bidder' has ignored quality and safety measures, and perhaps paid off the inspection staff,  to enhance his profits.  The underpass should be immediately shut down until proper repairs are made.

 

One must drive carefully at all times on every street, road, highway and byway in the country!

How many pile ups will now happen with drivers looking at the walls instead of the traffic, close it down.

How do you spell "pathetic"?

My wife drove through there about 6-30 pm they cleared it away pretty quick she said she didnt see anything until I showed her the video here

So if in the next two weeks one is injured by one of these panels falling will they pay the medical bills or are we required to have our private health insurance to cover it?... 

how about closing the tunnel NOW and fixing it??

4 hours ago, bdenner said:

How does one drive carefully as a piece of concrete is crushing his/her car? The bloody thing should be closed!

It ain't bloody yet but don't you worry, it won't be long!

5 hours ago, Chang_paarp said:

How long does it take to get a competent person on site....

That's your first hurdle; where are you going to find one of those!

how about closing the underpass there is very obviously a risk to life

6 hours ago, Chang_paarp said:

TWO WEEKS??????

In some places two hours would be considered excessive. How long does it take to get a competent person on site to inspect the shoddy work and make it safe? It might take a bit of time to remanufacture the panel, but assessing the site and making it safe should not take that time. (Hint: get some spates made at the same time as this will happen again.)

They would need to find a competent person  first .opps beat me to it

THe company that built this underpass should never have been given the contract in the first place after the Tesco Underpass fiasco. But they no doubt provided the largest brown envelopes and that is much more important than safety, timeliness and quality of construction.

5 minutes ago, madmitch said:

they no doubt provided the largest brown envelopes and that is much more important than safety, timeliness and quality of construction.

You damn right!

6 hours ago, TooBigToFit said:

It's been pretty cold lately for Thailand up north. I wonder what the weather is doing to materials. I had bathroom tiles fall off a couple years ago during a cold spell. This year no problems with them. I guess it's not due to temperatures there but this story reminded me of that.

when the season got hot again did the tiles jump up off the floor onto the wall?

You would not see me driving carefully in the underpass.

I would drive like I stole the thing

The slower you go the more chance of being hit by one of those panels falling, which are probably stuck on with it sticks like S!^t " Glue.

Nothing lasts forever or until the paint drys here ????

10 hours ago, Chang_paarp said:

How long does it take to get a competent person on site to inspect the shoddy work and make it safe

Highlighted is the problem.

17 hours ago, saengd said:

On other planets they would close the underpass and get the contractor on site now, on this one we're instructed to drive more carefully, what's wrong with that picture!

You’ve pretty much summed up Thai safety standards

17 hours ago, TooBigToFit said:

It's been pretty cold lately for Thailand up north. I wonder what the weather is doing to materials. I had bathroom tiles fall off a couple years ago during a cold spell. This year no problems with them. I guess it's not due to temperatures there but this story reminded me of that.

If you are a westerner, you sure have been converted to native thinking.

 

To a westerner, the current temperatures that Thailand is experiencing are what a westerner would call "cool", NOT "cold". It is only "cold" to a Thai national. "Cold" because it is below their norm.

The current "cool" temperatures would have no effect whatsoever on the integrity of building materials. Drop below "0" Celsius for an extended period of time and then the effects from cold can be possibly blamed.

7 hours ago, neeray said:

To a westerner, the current temperatures that Thailand is experiencing are what a westerner would call "cool", NOT "cold". It is only "cold" to a Thai national. "Cold" because it is below their norm.

The current "cool" temperatures would have no effect whatsoever on the integrity of building materials. Drop below "0" Celsius for an extended period of time and then the effects from cold can be possibly blamed.

I'm from Australia, was taking my son to school this morning just after we left the house I turned around went home and put a jumper on.... because i felt cold.