Phuket's First Underpass To Open Early 2014

[webfact]

Phuket's first underpass to open early 2014
Phuket Gazette

PHUKET: -- To alleviate the ongoing traffic tailbacks at the construction site of Phuket’s first underpass (story here), the project managers will open all three lanes of the underpass at the beginning of next year.

“So far, the underpass is 11 per cent complete. At the beginning of next year, it will be opened for road users,” Department of Highways’ Bureau of Bridge Construction engineer Itthiwat Kritsanawanich announced at a meeting yesterday.

“After we finish the underpass itself, we will begin the road works at the intersection,” Mr Itthiwat said.

“First, we plan to close the two lanes northbound in front of Central Festival for renovation. At that time, we will open all three lanes of the underpass so northbound traffic can continue uninterrupted,” he told the Phuket Gazette.

Any northbound motorists wanting to turn left or right at the intersection will have to continue all the way through to the Samkong Intersection, in front of the Tesco Lotus supercenter, and make their way from there, he added.

Southbound traffic wanting to turn left or right at the junction will remain unaffected.

“When we finish renovating the lanes in front of Central Festival, we will re-open the northbound lanes in front of the shopping mall and close the southbound lanes in front of HomeWorks.

“At that time, we will open all three lanes of the underpass so that southbound traffic can continue uninterrupted,” Mr Itthiwat explained.

“After we finish renovating all the roads at the intersection, we will allocate which lanes of the underpass are open to northbound traffic and which lanes are open to southbound traffic by designating the lanes with overhead lane markings,” he said.

In the mornings, two lanes southbound and one lane northbound will be open to traffic, Mr Itthiwat said.

In the evenings, the traffic flow will be inverted, with two lanes northbound and one lane southbound open to traffic, he added.

As done elsewhere in the world, lanes open to traffic will be designated by a green “O” symbol, while lanes closed to through traffic will be marked with a red “X”.

As for Phuket’s second underpass, to be built further north at the Samkong Intersection at a cost of 850 million baht, Mr Itthiwat said that a construction contractor had been chosen, but had yet to sign the government tender.

“I think the budget for the construction of that underpass might even decrease by about 10 million baht because the cost of the construction materials required were high at the time we opened the contract for bidding, but now the prices of the materials required has fallen,” he said.

Additional reporting by Kritsada Mueanhawong.

Source: http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket_news/2013/Phuket-s-first-underpass-to-open-early-2014-20820.html


-- Phuket Gazette 2013-04-19

[LivinginKata]

11% complete - really

[Shot]

Must be new math, looks more like 1.1%

[LivinginKata]

Maybe based on the percentage of money paid against progress

[Seismic]

I wonder when they started on this ??. I well remember the chaos of Srinagarindra road around paradise and Seri centre, seemed to go on for years........hang on its still going on

[poooket]

Maybe based on the percentage of money paid against progress

+1

I have always wonder how they come up with the numbers

[steelepulse]

Maybe based on the percentage of money paid against progress

+1

I have always wonder how they come up with the numbers

Take the actual cost and multiply between 2.0 and 3.0 depending on where the funding is coming from.

[Valentine]

All this money & inconvenience for 3 Lanes!!!! Why not 4?

[Jimi007]

All this money & inconvenience for 3 Lanes!!!! Why not 4?

Yes! And why not an overpass rather than an underpass that would be done at much less cost and time? Greed?

[Valentine]

All this money & inconvenience for 3 Lanes!!!! Why not 4?

Yes! And why not an overpass rather than an underpass that would be done at much less cost and time? Greed?

Agree but it makes too much sense Jimi. Also less cost means less for your 2nd question/answer. Mind you I will be reasonably impressed if they do have it open early next year ahead of schedule. Not looking forward to the school run starting again next month.

[Payboy]

As done elsewhere in the world, lanes open to traffic will be designated by a green “O” symbol, while lanes closed to through traffic will be marked with a red “X”.

That should well work...........................with drivers from elsewhere in the world.

[Paangjang]

As done elsewhere in the world, lanes open to traffic will be designated by a green “O” symbol, while lanes closed to through traffic will be marked with a red “X”.

That should well work...........................with drivers from elsewhere in the world.

People here drive the wrong direction down duel carriage ways! Like their ever going to understand or take notice of road signs. Thet drive straight through red lights infront of police boxes yet nothings done, thats another topic though

[KarenBravo]

All this money & inconvenience for 3 Lanes!!!! Why not 4?

Yes! And why not an overpass rather than an underpass that would be done at much less cost and time? Greed?

The bloke who owns the Dara hotel protested against a flyover.

[Jimi007]

All this money & inconvenience for 3 Lanes!!!! Why not 4?

Yes! And why not an overpass rather than an underpass that would be done at much less cost and time? Greed?

The bloke who owns the Dara hotel protested against a flyover.

I thought that might be the case. Thanks for clearing that up. It only takes one business owner to protest, while the rest of the residents suffer... Reminds me of the new bus station fiasco.

[N47HAN]

Central Retail Corporation had more than a hand in the decision process.