Koh Chang: Road bridge to the mainland moves a step closer

[webfact]

Picture: Manager

 

Long anticipated plans to build a 10 kilometer road bridge from the mainland to Koh Chang in Trat province in eastern Thailand are likely to move a step closer if a second public forum on the matter gives the green light as anticipated.

 

Somkiat Samatthakarn, chairman of a working committee organising a second stage of public hearings, hopes that construction could start using 2023 budgets.

 

Elsewhere in print media in Thailand it was suggested that building could start as early as next year.

 

The plan is to construct a ten kilometer road bridge that would connect Laem Ngop on the Trat mainland to the Ban Dan Kao area on the popular holiday island.

 

Picture: Manager

 

Back in 2017 public forums indicated 90% approval for the scheme, reported Manager.

 

Reasons for the need of the bridge were ease of travel, use in medical emergencies at night when the ferry does not run, to ease traffic congestion during peak tourist times and assertions that it would be a boon for the local economy.

 

The second round of public forums will take place at the end of this month in Koh Chang and next month in Laem Ngop.

 

Provided there is no substantial opposition then the way seems clear for the project to finally get off the ground, notes ASEAN NOW.

 

-- © Copyright  ASEAN NOW 2021-10-08

 

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[canopus1969]

Waste of money, it's (only) charm is because it's an island

[Mavideol]

2 minutes ago, webfact said:

are likely to move a step closer

what happen, did the water shrinked or the island drift, how big is/was the step 555

[KannikaP]

8 minutes ago, webfact said:

use in medical emergencies at night when the ferry does not run

So I guess during the daytime, patients would still be transported by the ferry.   555

Would building a hospital not be cheaper and more convenient?

Edited October 8, 2021 by KannikaP

[keith101]

The bridge will more than likely end the ferry service and put them out of work .

[Damrongsak]

3 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

So I guess during the daytime, patients would still be transported by the ferry.   555

Would building a hospital not be cheaper and more convenient?

Why drag reality into this, you spoil sport?  ????

[jakow]

47 minutes ago, keith101 said:

The bridge will more than likely end the ferry service and put them out of work .

The Koh Chang ferries are often horrible, especially during holiday weekends where there can be 5 hour+ wait times, and the operators don’t seem to have any interest in fixing the problems. I would love to see them out of business.

[keith101]

9 minutes ago, jakow said:

The Koh Chang ferries are often horrible, especially during holiday weekends where there can be 5 hour+ wait times, and the operators don’t seem to have any interest in fixing the problems. I would love to see them out of business.

If the bridge is built a bus service will start running so problem fixed until a big accident happens on the bridge bringing everything to a halt with large traffic jam .

[Destiny1990]

It is a good plan probably realized in 2050. 

[markeewan]

3 metres of the bridge is designated for pedestrians to walk to and from the 10 km to Koh Chang.

 

They can't walk there now, what on earth makes anyone think they are going to start.

 

Exactly...

[PETERTHEEATER]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Reasons for the need of the bridge were ease of travel, use in medical emergencies at night when the ferry does not run, to ease traffic congestion during peak tourist times and assertions that it would be a boon for the local economy.

For the medical emergency excuse it would be cheaper to maintain a paramedic helicopter on standby 24/7 than build the proposed bridge....

[Nabby]

Can this island handle a significant uptick in traffic? I doubt it. If I'm not mistaken, the road doesn't even ring the entire island. So what's the answer? Bulldoze through the pristine national park to complete it? Disaster in the making. This is a waste of money. 

[internationalism]

this proposed bridge is too long, runs to the east part of island, where there is little tourist infrastructure.

It should run from the natural bay, or even before, to shorten travel from bangkok - most tourists come from bangkok, some of them from the trat airport. Probably bridge need to be only some 5km long, much shorter than this proposed.

And lead to the west coast, omitting treacherous, steep slopes which start at the beginning after leaving sea port.

 

[Scouse123]

3 hours ago, canopus1969 said:

Waste of money, it's (only) charm is because it's an island

Absolutely,

 

And one of the few reasons I love it there. The difficulty to get there puts a lot off that I don't want to see there.

[Upnotover]

11 minutes ago, internationalism said:

this proposed bridge is too long, runs to the east part of island, where there is little tourist infrastructure.

It should run from the natural bay, or even before, to shorten travel from bangkok - most tourists come from bangkok, some of them from the trat airport. Probably bridge need to be only some 5km long, much shorter than this proposed.

And lead to the west coast, omitting treacherous, steep slopes which start at the beginning after leaving sea port.

 

I had the same thought, why is it so long.  But it's obvious, it's 5km there and 5km back again.

[BostonRob2]

1 hour ago, markeewan said:

3 metres of the bridge is designated for pedestrians to walk to and from the 10 km to Koh Chang.

 

They can't walk there now, what on earth makes anyone think they are going to start.

 

Exactly...

It might be too far to walk but it would have great potential for runners and tourism attracting running events. 

[LennyW]

Nobody has mentioned the real reason yet.......graft and plenty of it for the connected few!!!

[Grusa]

3 hours ago, internationalism said:

this proposed bridge is too long, runs to the east part of island, where there is little tourist infrastructure.

It should run from the natural bay, or even before, to shorten travel from bangkok - most tourists come from bangkok, some of them from the trat airport. Probably bridge need to be only some 5km long, much shorter than this proposed.

And lead to the west coast, omitting treacherous, steep slopes which start at the beginning after leaving sea port.

 

A 10km bridge generates twice as many brown envelopes than a 5km bridge.

 

Silly boy!

[bangon04]

3 hours ago, LennyW said:

Nobody has mentioned the real reason yet.......graft and plenty of it for the connected few!!!

Is it possible that the Chinese have the expertise and experience (Hong Kong - Zhuhai - Macau)  to carry out this capital project at a price acceptable to the Thai lawmakers?  I wonder.....   Not too far from the Chinese province of Sihanoukville. Maybe they can link Koh Kut as well.....  The potential is huge.....

[Stargeezr]

The sides will be used for fast motorcycles, and scared sh*tless cyclists.

  I doubt that any normal Thais would walk 5 or 10 kms, ever.

Geezer

[Almer]

16 hours ago, internationalism said:

this proposed bridge is too long, runs to the east part of island, where there is little tourist infrastructure.

It should run from the natural bay, or even before, to shorten travel from bangkok - most tourists come from bangkok, some of them from the trat airport. Probably bridge need to be only some 5km long, much shorter than this proposed.

And lead to the west coast, omitting treacherous, steep slopes which start at the beginning after leaving sea port.

 

Money money money, the bridge is following the money.

[thenewgoo]

On 10/8/2021 at 7:40 PM, bangon04 said:

Is it possible that the Chinese have the expertise and experience (Hong Kong - Zhuhai - Macau)  to carry out this capital project at a price acceptable to the Thai lawmakers?  I wonder.....   Not too far from the Chinese province of Sihanoukville. Maybe they can link Koh Kut as well.....  The potential is huge.....

Yes, the Chinese could do it. If Thailand doesn't have enough money, they can work out a good deal - pay them back later. No problem.