Phuket unveils plans for Chalong underpass

[webfact]

Phuket unveils plans for Chalong underpass
Phuket Gazette

PHUKET: -- Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut has unveiled six routes being considered for a new underpass to be built at Chalong Circle, by far the busiest junction in the south of the island.

The new underpass will need to serve about 53,000 cars per day, accounting for about 60 per cent of all traffic in Muang District, he told the press at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday.

“There are terrible traffic jams there every day,” he said.

The proposed routes being considered for the underpass are:

1. Two-way between Chao Fa East Road and Wiset Road (to Rawai);

2. Two-way between Chao Fa West Road and Wiset Road;

3. One-way southbound from Chao Fa East Road and one-way southbound from Chao Fa West Road to Wiset Road;

4. One-way southbound from Chao Fa East Road to Wiset Road and one-way northbound from Wiset Road to Chao Fa West Road;

5. Two-way between Chao Fa East Road and Patak Road (to Kata-Karon);

6. One-way southbound from Chao Fa East Road to Patak Road.

“We will choose the route that requires the least land to be expropriated and which best preserves Phuket’s beautiful landscape,” Governor Maitri said.

“We prefer to build an underpass – instead of expanding roads or building flyovers – because doing so will have the least impact on communities and the environment,” he added.

Governor Maitri also confirmed that the underpass currently under construction at the Darasamuth Intersection, in front of the Central Festival Phuket shopping mall, is on schedule to open to traffic by January 2014.

“The underpass is now 25 per cent complete. It will be ready to use by January, but the roads around the underpass will also have to be done, which means the entire project will be 100 per cent complete on October 5, 2014,” he said.

A public hearing on the proposed underpass at the Samkong Intersection, in front of Tesco Lotus on the bypass road, will be held on July 5, Gov Maitri said.

“The venue for the public hearing has yet to be announced,” he said.

Source: http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket_news/2013/Phuket-unveils-plans-for-Chalong-underpass-21526.html


-- Phuket Gazette 2013-07-03

[IrishIvan]

Great, I bet the Italian - Thai fiasco conglomerate has the contract again. Misery on the roads for another 2 years

[madmitch]

“We will choose the route..................................................which best preserves Phuket’s beautiful landscape,”

Has Governor Maitri ever been to Chalong Circle?

[LivinginKata]

If anyone thinks that the traffic jams at Central are bad, they ain't seen anything yet compared with Chalong traffic.

[stevenl]

Great, I bet the Italian - Thai fiasco conglomerate has the contract again. Misery on the roads for another 2 years

Fiasco? Looks like they are doing a very good job with limited space to work in at the Darasamuth intersection.

[jpeg]

Here's a novel idea! How about at least attempting to reduce the SVO (single vehicle occupancy), by .... introducing an affordable/reliable mass transport system

[maanoi]

Yeh i used to think traffic at chalong circle was bad, then i moved to bangkok and my standards for bad traffic changed slightly....

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[stevenl]

Here's a novel idea! How about at least attempting to reduce the SVO (single vehicle occupancy), by .... introducing an affordable/reliable mass transport system

The traffic at Chalong circle, at least in the mornings when it is at its busiest, are all locals. You really think any of the locals would take public transport over own transport? I for sure won't, even though I'm at Chalong circle nearly every morning.

Making an entrance to the school on the sidestreet (the shortcut from Chalong to Kata) would already make a big difference in the traffic there.

[pistachios]

I can't even imagine the mess it will become when or if they start the construction. There is just no space available at all.

[IrishIvan]

Great, I bet the Italian - Thai fiasco conglomerate has the contract again. Misery on the roads for another 2 years

Fiasco? Looks like they are doing a very good job with limited space to work in at the Darasamuth intersection.

You seen the overpasses they did in Bangkok? They are still sitting there half finished

[stevenl]

Great, I bet the Italian - Thai fiasco conglomerate has the contract again. Misery on the roads for another 2 years

Fiasco? Looks like they are doing a very good job with limited space to work in at the Darasamuth intersection.

You seen the overpasses they did in Bangkok? They are still sitting there half finished

Don't blame the builders for that. That is what happens when the politicians change their minds halfway in the building process.

[JetsetBkk]

We will choose the route that requires the least land to be expropriated and which best preserves Phukets beautiful landscape, Governor Maitri said.

There's nothing beautiful left around Chalong circle. It is an eyesore. I wish the governor would stop talking such rubbish and just say "whatever works and is least expensive".

Expropriating land around the circle will cost a fortune. Just look at that stupid bit of land south on Vised road that they couldn't buy for years. They even had to put up a huge illuminated sign with an arrow on it after too many accidents there.

[andreandre]

If Chalong circle has to be done ,an overpass,not an underpass would make much more sense..[and yes,i realise that in LOS making sense isn't a big consideration]

There is much less traffic disruption during construction,a few detours whilst support columns are built and then when pre-cast beams are lifted into place, but after this the work can be completed above with minimal traffic disruption below [compared to an underpass, that is]

[IrishIvan]

We will choose the route that requires the least land to be expropriated and which best preserves Phukets beautiful landscape, Governor Maitri said.

There's nothing beautiful left around Chalong circle. It is an eyesore. I wish the governor would stop talking such rubbish and just say "whatever works and is least expensive".

Expropriating land around the circle will cost a fortune. Just look at that stupid bit of land south on Vised road that they couldn't buy for years. They even had to put up a huge illuminated sign with an arrow on it after too many accidents there.

The whole of Chalong could do with demolition, its a shanty town

[Suffinator]

“We will choose the route that requires the least land to be expropriated and which best preserves Phuket’s beautiful landscape,” Governor Maitri said

Beautiful? Chalong? Whatever you are smoking is illegal and you need to share it.

Chalong lost it's natural beauty about 20 years ago. It's dirty, noisy, cables hanging everywhere, no building control and it's getting worse.

[bangarang]

ugh... seriously? how about they do something in the north? How about something in between the monument circle and kathu... Such a long drive in desperate need of short cut through the mountains.

[jpeg]

If Chalong circle has to be done ,an overpass,not an underpass would make much more sense..[and yes,i realise that in LOS making sense isn't a big consideration]

There is much less traffic disruption during construction,a few detours whilst support columns are built and then when pre-cast beams are lifted into place, but after this the work can be completed above with minimal traffic disruption below [compared to an underpass, that is]

The Chalong Circle, which, believe it not, was quite charming. Now it's an eyesore. And you think adding an ugly overpass is a good idea?

There simply is no way around this other than reducing the amount of traffic. See para above. And former post.

[jpeg]

We will choose the route that requires the least land to be expropriated and which best preserves Phukets beautiful landscape, Governor Maitri said.

There's nothing beautiful left around Chalong circle. It is an eyesore. I wish the governor would stop talking such rubbish and just say "whatever works and is least expensive".

Expropriating land around the circle will cost a fortune. Just look at that stupid bit of land south on Vised road that they couldn't buy for years. They even had to put up a huge illuminated sign with an arrow on it after too many accidents there.

The whole of Chalong could do with demolition, its a shanty town

I used to like Chalong. Central for everything. Now they've attempted an 'upgrade' (shanty town? ), it's depressing. And getting worse as no zoning/lack of co-operation by local land owners.

[andreandre]

If Chalong circle has to be done ,an overpass,not an underpass would make much more sense..[and yes,i realise that in LOS making sense isn't a big consideration]

There is much less traffic disruption during construction,a few detours whilst support columns are built and then when pre-cast beams are lifted into place, but after this the work can be completed above with minimal traffic disruption below [compared to an underpass, that is]

The Chalong Circle, which, believe it not, was quite charming. Now it's an eyesore. And you think adding an ugly overpass is a good idea?

There simply is no way around this other than reducing the amount of traffic. See para above. And former post.

No , i dont think an ugly overpass is a good idea at all [aesthetically, at least]..but seeing as the powers that be are not inclined to look outside the box and are determined to build an underpass, i simply said that an overpass would be more sensible than an underpass at this location.

Sadly, for the environment worldwide ,underpasses and overpasses are the most common/easiest means of trying to alleviate problems with ever increasing car ownership/traffic issues within especially urban areas where land expropriation is not desirable.

[LivinginKata]

I prefered the time when the roundabout had that fountain (or was it flowers ?) feature. But they removed that for traffic lights. Traffic lights lasted about a day and were turned off - for ever.

[xylophone]

One of the main reasons for the traffic congestion at the Chalong roundabout is because Thai drivers don't know how to use a roundabout!! Everyone piling on to it at once means no traffic flow.

Driver education is a key, but that's never going to happen in Thailand is it!

[JetsetBkk]

One of the main reasons for the traffic congestion at the Chalong roundabout is because Thai drivers don't know how to use a roundabout!! Everyone piling on to it at once means no traffic flow.

Driver education is a key, but that's never going to happen in Thailand is it!

Yes. Several times I have had to stop myself going on to the circle even though a vehicle on the circle has stopped to let me on. I have to wave them on otherwise I cannot get through the jam behind them and then we are all stuck.

[IrishIvan]

The main reason its banked up is because of police presence