Bridge Beside Little Duck

[toybits]

It has taken them almost a year to widen the bridge, redirect the flow of the creek and fix up approaches to the bridge.

At first, I was thinking "Oh my goodness!! This bridge is going to claim lots of lives" Fortunately, the construction company installed dividers to redirect traffic so that they do not crash into the concrete railing separating the main section of the bridge from the service road section. Funny thing is that if you are coming from Phaholyothin (south of the Tobacco monopoly owned property), turning left as into the superhighway at Seeyek Mae Korn along the service road, you would be able to swing into the superhighway until you reach the entrance to the Little Duck hotel. I find that rather odd.

If you were on the superhighway coming from the south, you would not be able to turn into the Little Duck hotel until you were right by the entrance. Now if a tour bus was turning into that hotel from the highway, it would back up traffic or have fast moving vehicles rear-end you as you were turning into the hotel. Scary.

I just hope the city engineers take a good look into this and make corrective measures before they get someone killed.

[toybits]

Correction.... They closed off the gap between the island between the service road and the super highway at the east gate of the Little Duck hotel. You can no longer turn into the hotel from the super highway. So it seems the only way to get into the hotel would be through the West gate.

Hmmmm...???

What are these people thinking????

[toybits]

I wonder what it will be like when they start construction on the other side of the high way. Will they make it difficult for people to get access to the Siburin Hospital? Oh boy!!! This is going to be rough.

[Joel Barlow]

Is it off topic to mention ChiangMai?

the intersection just this side of Arcade bus station...

years of disruptivity. Why?

why ask why?

for the new water system, all our vehicles are being damaged from uneven roads left untended...

wasn't it the Bangna-Trat highway, near BKK, that took over 20 years to complete?

never-mind - cousins of mine in Mexico had a grandfather who was head of Mexico's highway department -

for 20 years. He completed 300 kilometers of road.

Died pennyless in Spain...

but I remember his huge house full of servants...

[mumbojumbo]

Is it off topic to mention ChiangMai?

the intersection just this side of Arcade bus station...

years of disruptivity. Why?

why ask why?

for the new water system, all our vehicles are being damaged from uneven roads left untended...

wasn't it the Bangna-Trat highway, near BKK, that took over 20 years to complete?

never-mind - cousins of mine in Mexico had a grandfather who was head of Mexico's highway department -

for 20 years. He completed 300 kilometers of road.

Died pennyless in Spain...

but I remember his huge house full of servants...

Joel, your losing it Mexico-??, Chiangmai-?? , Spain-?? BKK,

The man asked about the bridge by the Little Duck. I am sure

it will be completed when the new clocktower is completed.

[toybits]

They are already beginning to unwrap the new clock tower. So far, only the west-side of the bridge is being worked on. Doing finishing touches but then when that is done, they will have to start working on the east-side of the bridge. What new surprises will they have for us then...???

Joel, your losing it Mexico-??, Chiangmai-?? , Spain-?? BKK,

The man asked about the bridge by the Little Duck. I am sure

it will be completed when the new clocktower is completed.

[kumsamut]

clock tower is finished, curtain is more than half way down.

cheers

[toybits]

At the rate they are unwrapping the clock tower, it looks like it will take them another couple of years to finally reveal that monstrosity it covers. Perhaps, they are having second thoughts...??

So how will people get into the little duck if they are coming from See Yaek Mae Korn?

clock tower is finished, curtain is more than half way down.

cheers

[sceadugenga]

Go in the back way off Phahonyothin.

[toybits]

That is rather counter-intuitive. You would think that if you were coming from the south, you would be able to get off the superhighway and sneak into the service road. This is not possible at the moment because there are no gaps along the divider between See Yaek Mae Korn until you pass the bridge.

Go in the back way off Phahonyothin.

[toybits]

After some hesitation, the road "engineers" finally saw the light and put a break in the highway divider between Mae Korn intersection and that bridge.

These wannabee Einsteins, however, built the gap as if it was for buffalos. One poor jerk (probably already a bit loaded with Saeng Som) did not realize this and crashed into the sign post at the far end of the gap.

Beyond the bridge, they also built a divider and the enthusiastic road "engineers" built it such that the gap (again) is bit too narrow. When will these dorks ever learn.

[toybits]

Last week, they closed off the road going into town at Mae Lao Intersection (western side of Little Duck). Turns out that it was flooded. The Road "engineers" seemed to have forgotten that now that they have a bridge on the Western side of the superhighway, they have not yet started on the Easter side.

So we had a really big rain and the runoff could not drain quickly enough through that rather crooked stream. Oh! Yeah!! Need to straigten the creek!!!

So what to these "engineers" do? Quickly tear up the highway, to allow the creek to drain properly.

They installed barriers to divert traffic again. One poor b__stard crashed into the barrier right before the freshly dug up section (coming from Big C - going to Mae Korn Intersection). I could still see the remains of splintered timber and what looked like broken glass.

These guys are extremely dangerous to your health and the health of your children. Please be careful when driving by this bridge.

The road "engineers" obviously do not care about the safety of motorists or have absolutely no clue about road safety issues.

[sceadugenga]

I suppose that it's a sign you've been in Thailand too long when you can drive through that sort of a scene and barely notice that there's a problem.

[toybits]

Ha Ha!! Then 20 years is still too short a time....

I suppose that it's a sign you've been in Thailand too long when you can drive through that sort of a scene and barely notice that there's a problem.

[toybits]

Close - Open - Close - Open...

Unbelievable!!! These guys cannot make up their minds.

[sceadugenga]

Thanks, I'll go in the back way tomorrow, on the old Chiang Mai Road.

[goski]

Ja! Thiz ist ein big probleme. I cannot underztand vy they haft to make so much problemen all the time! They zhould put zome advetizements in "Die Welt" for reeeel kraftmanschip people mit some of der precizion!!!

Ach ja, ve all remember the renaissance of the mechanical vatch at the end of the 1980’s vhich iz yet another victory for the finest and most Germanic of all traits, the German precision principle.

Seriously, relax people! As long as you can drive around what's the big deal!? 65 million people, tropical climate, poor tools and skills. It doesn't even take 2 years to realize and just take it for what it is.

[mcgriffith]

Jeez, goski....gotta German problem? Vis ze cherman ak-sent, Ja?

We can properly address differences of opinion without making a character charade personality, based on a certain nationality.

OK, Mod Mr. Church Lady rant over with.

You're right; we can't expect road traffic management efficiencies to be comparable with the UK, or Kansas, or Bonn.

I ride a motorbike.

If the bridge is closed, I go around. So it costs me an extra 2 or 3 baht.

If I was driving a Fortuner running 95....I'd be PO'd.....

[toybits]

The thing is that there are lots of other things that we can rant about, e.g. obscured traffic lights, ridiculous traffic ordinances, letting traffic move one direction at a time (e.g. Sri Sai Moon intersection, or Ha Yaek).

[toybits]

New Vehicle crash debris behind the barrier when going towards See Yaek Mae Korn. Another one bites the dust.

[toybits]

3 days ago, one of the steel barriers was bent like a "V" and was pushed back about 30 feet from where it should have been...

[goski]

The rainy season might have something to do with it perhaps. Seems like a time when more accidents should happen and not only because of strange bridge constructions.

[toybits]

You're probably right. I did not consider that, But then, the bridge is not too far from the Par Club and nearby the beer gardens. Mix alcohol, a rainy night, late hours of the night and you have a perfect recipe for a disaster. You would think the public works department of this country would exhaust all means to reduce further accidents.

The rainy season might have something to do with it perhaps. Seems like a time when more accidents should happen and not only because of strange bridge constructions.

[sceadugenga]

Personally I think the roads in Thailand are great.

Sure roadworks and bridge construction can be slow and detours poorly planned, but apart from the motorcys traffic is generally well behaved.

Or maybe I've just got used to it?

A regular visitor often criticizes my driving technique of being over cautious.

[toybits]

For Chiang Rai residents, we know what to expect on the road - more or less. Unfortunately we are not the only people on the road. Lots of tourists from out of town come visit Chiang Rai.

The problem is that they are unfamiliar with our road in Chiang Rai. They may be driving really fast on a stretch of highway where they expect they can drive their car really fast. Surprise!!! You have to swerve into the opposite lane to bypass a ditch. Slam!!!

I guess it is because people do not expect that they have to swerve. Perhaps, it would be better if motorists were given a warning much earlier - Warning signs could be installed at 500 meters, 250, 100 meters from the construction area. They they would have had ample warning.

Personally I think the roads in Thailand are great.

Sure roadworks and bridge construction can be slow and detours poorly planned, but apart from the motorcys traffic is generally well behaved.

Or maybe I've just got used to it?

A regular visitor often criticizes my driving technique of being over cautious.

[sceadugenga]

TOYBITS!!!

Rejoice my boy, I got lost in the Little Duck roadworks today.

I'll admit I was daydreaming but I came out of Big C heading south and joined the right hand lane, which I didn't realise was doing a U turn through the first gap in the median strip to go back to town. I just carried on and suddenly realised everybody else was coming towards me.

Realising what had happened I scrunched down so no one could see I was a Farang... imagine the gleeful chortles around Thai dinner tables tonight,

"You should have seen the Farang coming down the wrong side of the Super Highway today, great dumb buffalo, typical Farang, all money and no brains..."

and reversed back to get on the right side of the road.

Edited August 18, 2008 by sceadugenga

[toybits]

Whooppss! Thank goodness nothing bad happened....

TOYBITS!!!

Rejoice my boy, I got lost in the Little Duck roadworks today.

I'll admit I was daydreaming but I came out of Big C heading south and joined the right hand lane, which I didn't realise was doing a U turn through the first gap in the median strip to go back to town. I just carried on and suddenly realised everybody else was coming towards me.

Realising what had happened I scrunched down so no one could see I was a Farang... imagine the gleeful chortles around Thai dinner tables tonight,

"You should have seen the Farang coming down the wrong side of the Super Highway today, great dumb buffalo, typical Farang, all money and no brains..."

and reversed back to get on the right side of the road.

[toybits]

Just a warning about this bridge. In the evening, the streetlights on this section are on the blink. The concrete dividers are practically invisible during the evening. Some of the concrete dividers have been moved (probably by unsuspected motorists - tsk tsk).

You would think that they would place reflectorized stickers on those blocks would you???

Any of you guys want to donate a few feet of red or yellow colored reflectorized stickers?

I would be willing to stick them on to these concrete blocks myself. SERIOUSLY!!

[toybits]

I saw a black car (Toyota?) with a Bangkok license plate that had rammed into the concrete divider heading towards Siburin hospital (from Big C). Another one bites the dust.

Oh, and we are just seeing the tip of the iceberg here folks. Many more accidents have not been noticed because they were able to remove the vehicles rather quickly.

You would think that with the number of accidents that they have caused, they would at least try to finish the da_med bridge quickly - send two or three shifts to work on it. HA!

Please sue the bridge construction company.

[toybits]

Passed by this bridge yesterday (03 Feb) and somebody played "Let's move the concrete Barrier". Pushed the concrete barrier all the way across the opposite lane.