Patong's 'Middle Road' To Get Facelift Before Christmas

[webfact]

Patong's 'middle road' to get facelift before Christmas

The resurfacing of the road, which runs behind Phuket's Jungceylon shopping

complex, is expected to take three years. Photo: Pimwara Choksakulpan

PHUKET: -- Work on surfacing Phang Muang Sai Kor Road in Patong, which runs behind the Jungceylon shopping complex, will begin before the end of the year, the Phuket Gazette was told today.

“The construction contract was signed in Bangkok and work on the road will start by the end of this year,” Teeraporn Jirarattanakorn, director of the Department of Rural Roads Phuket office, told the Gazette.

The entire 2.9 kilometers of the road, from Phra Barami Road to the intersection with Prachanukroh Road, Nanai Road and Sirirat Road at the south end of Patong, is to be resurfaced.

Work will commence at the Phra Barami Road intersection.

The project is contracted to be complete within three years at a cost of 250 million baht, said Mr Teeraporn.

“The road will be four lanes wide – two lanes each way – with a median strip dividing traffic flow and breaks staggered along the length of the road to allow U-turns,” he said.

The road surface will be concrete, just like Phang Muang Sai Kor Road in Phuket Town, which opened December 24 last year, explained Mr Teeraporn.

“Both sides of the road will also have sidewalks,” he added.

Source: http://www.phuketgazette.net/news/detail.asp?id=10827

-- Phuket Gazette 2011-08-16

[steelepulse]

You've got to be kidding. 3 km's will take 3 years to complete? 250 million..................There's a lot of tea money built into that amount, concrete or not!!

[LivinginKata]

You've got to be kidding. 3 km's will take 3 years to complete? 250 million..................There's a lot of tea money built into that amount, concrete or not!!

Yes, the 3 year timetable caught my eye. That seems a very long time.

[KarenBravo]

You've got to be kidding. 3 km's will take 3 years to complete? 250 million..................There's a lot of tea money built into that amount, concrete or not!!

Yes, the 3 year timetable caught my eye. That seems a very long time.

C'mon! Three years is about right when you understand that there will only be five people working on it at any one time and that the verges will have to be ripped up and relaid at least three times for putting in water pipes, drainage pipes and sewerage pipes.

[katabeachbum]

picture is old. it is presently paved with asphalt

[Valentine]

A rough estimate for concrete only came to around 27 million. If you factor in other things like rebar, machines to sculpt the road, coarse sand, median strip, labour it surely cannot be much more than 100 million. Even adding a hefty profit, the budgeted figure still seems rather high considering that local companies should be the recipients of the work & subsequent profits.

[LivinginKata]

A rough estimate for concrete only came to around 27 million. If you factor in other things like rebar, machines to sculpt the road, coarse sand, median strip, labour it surely cannot be much more than 100 million. Even adding a hefty profit, the budgeted figure still seems rather high considering that local companies should be the recipients of the work & subsequent profits.

But we all know it will be a shoddy job. They will use that steel mesh net and thickness of concrete will be much less that specification. It will be good for a year or so, then start to crack.

[steelepulse]

Yes, but there will be a lot of shiny new trucks driven by various contractors and some nice new cars for those that appointed said jobs to said contractors. Gotta keep new vehicle sales up!

[Valentine]

Yes, but there will be a lot of shiny new trucks driven by various contractors and some nice new cars for those that appointed said jobs to said contractors. Gotta keep new vehicle sales up!

Even allowing for "agent commissions" in the form of cars or whatever there should still be about 50 to 100 million in funds leftover & this kind of thing is going on to a lesser or greater extent in just about every government funded project throughout the country. It would not be so bad if the workmanship was par excellence but it seems they deliberately set the bar low in order that the whole process can be repeated much more quickly. I remember a long time ago in Patong when every year right at the start of the high season all the paving stones on the footpaths had to be taken up & relaid.

It baffles me in a society where making merit is considered a fairly high priority yet cutting down on these overblown budgets would free much more money to help the needy & raise not only their standard of living but also their self esteem. Surely this would be considered good merit making.

I suppose another point is that they ask for money than what they really need knowing the budget will be trimmed by the central authorities.