Beware Patong Hill Road

[LivinLOS]

As reported by a mate of mine on another forum.

I just came over Patong hill and there is a major problem unfolding. Part of the road has collapsed. A small tunnel carrying a stream under the road has caved in. Locals have put up barriers across one lane of the road but no police had arrived at the scene when I was there. I stopped the car to have a look and there was a small depression in the road then as I watched it caved in. You could see the only thing left was a thin skin of tarmac, everything underneath had gone.

I would think twice about going over the hill as it wasn't possible to see what had happened to the other half of the tunnel. It needs to be assessed by engineers and I would think they will have to close the hill road until it is declared safe.

[LivinLOS]

A local news source is reporting that the road has been closed.

People are advised to loop Kamala or Kata Karon..

[LivinginKata]

A local news source is reporting that the road has been closed.

People are advised to loop Kamala or Kata Karon..

That's quite a loop ....

[thaigerd]

Many thanks for your warning!!!

Gerd

[JetsetBkk]

What's the Thai word for "maintenance"?

[jackdee]

What's the Thai word for "maintenance"?

Som Nom Nar

[Marksamui]

Where is this excatly?

Thanks

[LivinginKata]

Where is this excatly?

Thanks

Coming out of Patong, past the Wat, up the hill, and round the bends, and it's on the long straight.

[phuketsub]

Interesting, and we haven't even hit the height of the rainy season yet.

This was predicted in the Gazette editorial of Nov 3, 2007.

[LivinginKata]

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Patong mayor helps fill the gap

The gaping sinkhole which opened up yesterday on Phuket's Phra Baramee Road, just past Patong Hill, following torrential rain.

It took Patong Municipality workers until 4am this morning to fill the hole using an excavator.

PATONG, PHUKET: A large sinkhole which opened up on the route from Phuket City to Patong following torrential rain last night received quick attention thanks to the vigilance of one Patong Municipal official.

The mayor of Patong himself, Pian Keesin, happened to be heading down Phra Baramee Road towards Patong at about 5pm – just as the surface of the road was beginning to fall away, creating the giant hole.

The mayor immediately began looking into it. There, he found the back wheel of his car, so he got straight onto the phone to his officials.

Police and Patong Municipality workers had the lane closed by around 5.30pm, by which time the gaping hole was three meters wide and five meters deep.

The hole was caused by water flow underneath the road, which softened the earth until it could not support the road surface any longer.

Traffic was disrupted until 4am today while workers used an excavator to fill the hole with earth.

Arun Sane, director of the Phuket Highways Department Office, said this was just a temporary fix.

“We’ll need to go to Bangkok to request budget to get the road properly supported and resurfaced,” he said.

Mr Arun estimated the work would cost around 2 million baht and take around one month to finish.

Construction could start within two or three months, he said. – Atchaa Khamlo

-- Phuket Gazette 2009-08-29

[ozymandious]

"The mayor immediately began looking into it. There, he found the back wheel of his car, so he got straight onto the phone to his officials."

What??

[Tywais]

"The mayor immediately began looking into it. There, he found the back wheel of his car, so he got straight onto the phone to his officials."

What??

My thoughts exactly.

[thaiwanderer]

Governor pushing major road building agenda. Large hole appears on busy route which plans would provide an alternative to. Hmmmmmmm.........

[LivinLOS]

Erm.. working till 4am ??

Thats odd, the road was re-opened at about 9:30 last night and I rode past it soon after and the work was done..

More stellar reporting and fact finding !!

[PoorSucker]

They didn't budget the sinkhole?

[Pomthai]

Please someone correct me if I'm wrong, but this is my understanding;

The heavy rain washed out the dirt from under under the road surface.

Due to the lack of dirt under the road said road collapsed leaving a hole 3 meters diameter and around 5 meters deep.

They then filled up the hole with more "Dirt"

Its still raining. So let have a guess as to what might happen next? Is the road really open and vehicles are driving over this so called repair?

[PoorSucker]

Please someone correct me if I'm wrong, but this is my understanding;

The heavy rain washed out the dirt from under under the road surface.

Due to the lack of dirt under the road said road collapsed leaving a hole 3 meters diameter and around 5 meters deep.

They then filled up the hole with more "Dirt"

Its still raining. So let have a guess as to what might happen next? Is the road really open and vehicles are driving over this so called repair?

Don't worry.

"Mr Arun estimated the work would cost around 2 million baht and take around one month to finish.

Construction could start within two or three months, he said. "

[phuketrichard]

was driving back from Central yesterday and they had one lane closed as the hole had just happened.

Problem with the island and Patong especially is they do not have big enough drains for the water. 20 years ago it rained, the water went into the rice fields. AHHH all the rice frields are now parking lots, buildings and shop houses.

I was coming back from m\Chalong along the beach road once during a heavy rain and my car almost floated away in Karon in front of the Thavorn hotel!!!

[JetsetBkk]

Please someone correct me if I'm wrong, but this is my understanding;

The heavy rain washed out the dirt from under under the road surface.

Due to the lack of dirt under the road said road collapsed leaving a hole 3 meters diameter and around 5 meters deep.

They then filled up the hole with more "Dirt"

Its still raining. So let have a guess as to what might happen next? Is the road really open and vehicles are driving over this so called repair?

Ah, but this is special non-wash-awayable dirt.