Phuket Bypass Opens

[Phuket Post]

As of Friday 31 March Phuket's Bypass Road is finally open to traffic. The project is six months behind schedule but local residents can now fully access both lanes of the bypass road. Confused drivers have been spotted driving on the wrong side of the road, apparently unaware of the opening of the second lane despite large signs indicating they should drive in the other lane. Work on the bypass, however, is still taking place including the moving of rocks, laying of tarmac and planting of shrubbery.

The initial completion date for the project was September 28, 2005 but because of red tape surrounding rock-blasting permits Chiang Rai Harn Jaroen Enterprises Co. Ltd were forced to extend the deadline until January 26, 2006. This was not met despite pressure from Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura who wanted the project finished before the tsunami anniversary in order to present a positive image of Phuket. Harn Jaroen Enterprises Co. Ltd was eventually given a deadline of 31 March to open the bypass and had to pay around 2 million baht in fines to the Highways Department.

http://phuket-post.com/article.php?id=194&...1021bc1745068ef

[chiwang11]

As of Friday 31 March Phuket's Bypass Road is finally open to traffic. The project is six months behind schedule but local residents can now fully access both lanes of the bypass road. Confused drivers have been spotted driving on the wrong side of the road, apparently unaware of the opening of the second lane despite large signs indicating they should drive in the other lane. Work on the bypass, however, is still taking place including the moving of rocks, laying of tarmac and planting of shrubbery.

The initial completion date for the project was September 28, 2005 but because of red tape surrounding rock-blasting permits Chiang Rai Harn Jaroen Enterprises Co. Ltd were forced to extend the deadline until January 26, 2006. This was not met despite pressure from Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura who wanted the project finished before the tsunami anniversary in order to present a positive image of Phuket. Harn Jaroen Enterprises Co. Ltd was eventually given a deadline of 31 March to open the bypass and had to pay around 2 million baht in fines to the Highways Department.

http://phuket-post.com/article.php?id=194&...1021bc1745068ef

[chiwang11]

I am renting a jeep to drive from phuket airport to Phuket Palace in Patong beach. Driving at night is dangerous. Will this bypass help ????? I also need detail instruction to drive from airport to Patong beach. Thank you.

[makavelithedon]

Never understood what was wrong with just widening the existing road a little without the ridiculous lengths that they went to with shifting millions of tons of rock and whatever else they overcame in this. What a complete and utter waste of resources. HUGE backhander involved with this project no doubt.

Look forward to the next one with delight, as the island atmosphere diminishes more and more to accomodate airport taxis and mini buses driving at 150 kmph! I dread to think of what this place will look like in another 5 years with the current government mentality in all things construction. Bangkok leaps to mind.

I try and see the funny side with the usual sales pitch to tourists thinking of making it their 2 week holiday retreat- idyllic tropical island!

Maybe I'm being a bit harsh, but it really is becoming more of a joke by the week this continued pitch by the Thai Tourism board or whatever their called. There are no doubt many who find it a great vacation but I have spoken to many (families) who just cannot believe the ecological destruction and disregard for what many tourists are looking for and thought they'd bought!

Apologies for going off topic but weren't maky takers so don't think it mattered too much!

Mak.

Edited May 1, 2006 by makavelithedon

[Goldenbead]

Yes, wonderful, the bypass road is finally open. Now they have started to dig up the stretch of road immediately south of Central for about a km. It is a nightmare. Just when I was getting to work quickly, there is a new traffic jam to contend with. Great!

[Jingjok]

>>>The initial completion date for the project was September 28, 2005 but because of red tape surrounding rock-blasting permits…<<<

As an explosives engineer in a previous incarnation, I’ve been watching this project with some professional interest.

It’s the worst blasting job I’ve ever seen. I was nearby once, eating my roast duck, when a round was fired: there was tremendous ground shock, enough to be illegal in the UK. This indicates they are not using delay detonators, or if they are, they’re not working out the correct sequence in which to fire the holes. This leads to ground vibration, fly rock, and poor fragmentation in the spoil heap – viz the huge boulders laying about. The finished face has huge back break – it’s fissured and loose. There will no doubt be slope stability problems in the future. For road cuts in hard rock the finished line should be pre-split, by firing a line of small diameter un-stemmed shotholes with decoupled (loosely fitting) charges simultaneously. It’s a standard technique used for years in the West. It works a treat and produces a clean break with few stability problems. The pre-split can be fired anything from 50 milliseconds to a year in advance of the production shots.

I feel better now I’ve got that off my chest. It will still irritate me every time I drive past, though. Here ends the Rock blasting lesson. No charge