Locals won't be missing 'Bangkok Stonehenge'

[gearsau]

" Amazing Thailand " :-)

[bigbamboo]

Allowing for inflation will the cost of pulling them down be greater than the cost of building them?

Maybe they could get some help on the demolition front.

Now if they could just convince Al Qaeda's brains trust that they are actually important Neo Buddhist symbols.....

[pacovl46]

I always wondered why they were there and why they were never finished. I shall miss them, as no one else seems to care for them. (sniff) ;-)

[dunque]

IIRC, Wu had them over a barrel, as he had pre-emptively taken steps to have some overseas government assets frozen until they coughed up.

He is no-one's fool, that Mr Wu.

Not too sure about that - I heard that he's a window-cleaner now.

[GBK]

IIRC, Wu had them over a barrel, as he had pre-emptively taken steps to have some overseas government assets frozen until they coughed up.

He is no-one's fool, that Mr Wu.

Not too sure about that - I heard that he's a window-cleaner now.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Wu

[chooka]

What about Sathorn Unique in the MIDDLE of Bangkok...

Was thinking the same thing, that this is a bigger blight... However as this was a privately funded construction, it has - seemingly - nothing to do with the Government. It's out of sight, out of mind.

My wife tells me this building is haunted and full of ghosts so no one will go there and pull it down or finish it. She says sometimes ghosts move into buildings before they are finished and won't let them finish. That is why there are so many unfinished projects scattered across the country.

[HeavyDrinker]

They should leave them as a visible monument to how easily pea-brained officials can blow public money on "foolhardy" schemes.

I'll wager there are still former officials who break into severe cold sweats every time they see them...so let them remain as a warning to the future that the humiliation from getting sussed out for being corrupt can remain for decades.....

Personally I feel they have a certain nostalgic charm as testament to some sort of official awakening and effort to solve the traffic chaos.....for those who were around at the time, the feeling of hope (no pun intended) relief and excitement especially for those commuting daily was all too real

[Frank James]

I remember when in the 90's Gordon Wu had some colourful comments to make about Thai politicians.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KsU89R1A8M

He learned his trade from his grandfather, the Chinese Godfather in Deadwood...

C---S-----r!!

[PhilipCook]

keep a few and set them aside as a monument to corruption

[livil]

What about Sathorn Unique in the MIDDLE of Bangkok...

good ground for urban exploration

i always wondered why this place wasnot finished and if it why inhabited , apparently not due to ghosts / spirits ...... apparently the best way to stop squatters is to PR a ghost story , what amaze me is that no one seem to have been scavenging this place for steel , copper and so on .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qNnj1nQr1M

[rott]

I am surprised by the amount of negativity around the forum. It is like a competition here...

Just stick around!

[jimbeam1]

What about Sathorn Unique in the MIDDLE of Bangkok...

When I first saw that building I took a load of photos and then got the crazy Idea of making a glossy brochure and trying to market it in Europe as an unfinished project. lol

jb1

[PeterSmiles]

What about Sathorn Unique in the MIDDLE of Bangkok...

Was thinking the same thing, that this is a bigger blight... However as this was a privately funded construction, it has - seemingly - nothing to do with the Government. It's out of sight, out of mind.

My wife tells me this building is haunted and full of ghosts so no one will go there and pull it down or finish it. She says sometimes ghosts move into buildings before they are finished and won't let them finish. That is why there are so many unfinished projects scattered across the country.

Any chance that those ghosts are named " Tang Mott "

[sabaii69]

I remember when they were building them. I think Italian-Thai const. co. was the same company that built them. Sweet, build something and then get paid to demolish it.

[rotary]

Bkk Stonehedge............I always called it the HOPELESS project. ha ha

[SPIKECM]

The last thing they want is a ghost story, but it inevitable in Thailand that this will happen. There's two like this in Chiang Mai and once they get the ghost story, there's nothing to be done. The building's value plummets ... Maybe they should encouraging squatters to prove that there are in fact no ghosts...but they would swear that they saw ghosts.. ..no easy solution.

What about Sathorn Unique in the MIDDLE of Bangkok...

good ground for urban exploration

i always wondered why this place wasnot finished and if it why inhabited , apparently not due to ghosts / spirits ...... apparently the best way to stop squatters is to PR a ghost story , what amaze me is that no one seem to have been scavenging this place for steel , copper and so on .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qNnj1nQr1M

Edited November 19, 2013 by SPIKECM

[disagree]

I've been living in the twin building, the state tower, so had of course many days out watching the empty building over some smokes. Too expensive ( and dangerous ) to raze, too bad of a state in to finish.

They explicitly don't allow anyone in, except the few occasional urban tourists who pay for it, or jump over the fences themselves. But it's maintained - the moment some graffiti kids drew something on it, it was removed a few days later. That's also around the time of the last votes, when they added the big posters from the ''don't vote'' movement with the animal heads and big X on it.

Since then they've been using it more and more for advertisements.

An old relic from the asian boom.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I've always liked these pillars...

When I first arrived here, I saw them and was curious what they were, and took the time to find out.

Once I found the answer, I always thought they serve/served as a sad but fitting monument to the execution of government public works projects in Thailand.

In those days, anyone arriving to Thailand via Don Muang would be greeted by the kilometers of abandoned pillars, a prescient symbol for the way things are done here.

And perhaps symbolically, a sign of what happens to too many farangs who come to Thailand and find themselves ultimately stripped and abandoned.

[Lakegeneve]

^Very well written TGB.

Probably worth remembering that the Hopewell pillars along the Eastern line were also demolished prior to building the Airport Line. Similar to the northern line pillars, orginally it was thought that most could be used but it seemed easier to demolish them all. The pillars are in the main structurally sound which is why it is taking so long to cut them up and remove them

(Pic credits to Khun Marut on SSC)

It is worth remembering what the integrated Hopewell system was going to look like as shown in this 1991 render;

During construction a mock up carriage was delivered so that all in BKK could see the future.....It later was abandoned in a yard for many years.

The Dark Red Line was originally envisaged to start construction back in 2009. The usual story of many delays and a contractual dispute even though the contract was signed in late 2011 meant construction only started in April this year.

In March 2012 a section of the Hopewell structure collapsed when old scaffolding which had been supporting the viaduct slab was stolen.

Hopewell section crumbles by MONTIEN INTAKET & WATCHARAPONG THONGRUNG

THE NATION March 2, 2012
A section of the abandoned Hopewell elevated train project collapsed in Bangkok's Chatuchak district yesterday morning, prompting authorities to check the strength of the rest of the project's towering, unused structures. No one was injured in yesterday's collapse.

Transport Minister Charupong Ruangsuwan said he had instructed the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) to check the Hopewell structures and reinforce them where necessary. "The SRT has also been ordered to consider dismantling those parts that consist only of iron," he said. Charupong said the SRT has assigned the Engineering Institute of Thailand to examine the Hopewell structures. "I have received a report that the SRT had used scaffolding to support some parts of the Hopewell structure [that collapsed], but someone stole iron bars from the scaffolding. The iron scaffolding could not longer shoulder the weight of a concrete beam supporting the structure," the transport minister said.

When the concrete beam crumbled, concrete chunks were scattered over a nearby inbound railway track. Arrangements were made to use an alternate tack, ensuring train service continued uninterrupted even as officials continued to remove debris from the track. Locals said they rushed to the site after hearing something collapse. The spot is just 100 metres from Samian Naree Temple. Police suggested that stolen bolts and iron bars within the scaffolding, in addition to a lack of maintenance, might have been responsible for the collapse of the long-neglected structure. Investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident.


No injuries, but debris litters railway; officials say parts of supporting scaffolding stolen

SRT Governor Yuttana Tapcharoen yesterday said it took about three hours to clear the debris from the affected track, and that it would take about one week to clear all of the debris from the affected area. "Engineers will be dispatched to determine the extent of the damage to the structure," he said. Yuttana said the strength of the structure had been checked earlier, prompting the erection of scaffolding to support the concrete beam. "But recently, thieves stole iron bars from the structure. That's probably why the beam fell," he said.

Initiated during the Chatichai Choonhavan administration, the Hopewell Project was planned as an elevated train route intended to solve Bangkok's traffic problems. SNC-Lavalin was named the concessionaire of the project in a contract signed by the then-transport minister in 1990.

The contract was later reviewed, scrapped and revived, before being permanently abandoned in 1997. After the government officially cancelled the contract, the concessionaire demanded compensation. On November 8, 2008, an arbitration panel issued a ruling requiring the Transport Ministry and SRT to pay Bt11.885 billion to the concessionaire, who started construction but never finished it. Many structures erected as part of the doomed project still stand in Bangkok.

An informed source said the SRT had filed a petition with the Central Administrative Court asking for permission not to pay compensation to the Hopewell concessionaire. Authorities have been looking into the possibility of integrating some of the unused Hopewell structures into the Red Line train project.

Some history of the failed project

November 1990: Contract signed between Hopewell, the Transport Ministry and the State Railway of Thailand, with completion set in stages from 1995 to 1999.

1992: The Anand Panyarachun government suspends the project.

1993: The Chuan Leekpai government revives the project despite questions about its viability, construction delays, cost overruns and basic design specifications.

1997: Construction ceases in August, ostensibly due to the economic crisis. The Chavalit Yongchaiyudh government terminates the project in December.

1998: The Chuan Leekpai government formally terminates the concession contract in January. After seven years, only 13% of the project is complete, compared with an original timetable of 89% completion. Both the government and Hopewell threaten legal action against each other for the project's cancellation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangkok_Elevated_Road_and_Train_System

[Sydebolle]

Don't get me wrong but the article refers to noodle vendors, cabbies and tuk tuk drivers.

As long as these people are not made aware of the fact, that it was them who voted those crooks into office, over and over again, until then the BMA might want to leave the Bangkok Stonehenge standing there as a very costly monument of inability, inefficiency combined with the mother-of-all-corruptions.

Additional question: were there no other people to ask, such as bankers, office girls, traders and other graduates of one of those countless universities?

Why? What is wrong to get opinions from the noodle Vendors or cabbies or yuk yuk drivers? be it banker or Cabbies.. both are human and have their opinions. Why should people be ignored based on what they do for a living. Actually it was interesting to have these questions asked to them.

"Our taxes..." Sure, I bet that cab driver pays loads...

Whatever amount they "Pay" is a significant amount for them if you consider the total money they make. It might be less for your salary standards but for them it is significant....

I am surprised by the amount of negativity around the forum. It is like a competition here...

Nepsydaz; You interpreted things into my posting which are not the case. The corruption lives on the grass rooters as they regretfully represent possibly the poorest education slice of the cake. Everything is keyed into education and it would be the very same government(s) which are responsible for that. Those governments, keeping the uneducated uneducated are voted into office by the uneducated and latter also pay dearly for all that. Hence I was wondering what the white collar slice of Thailand's electorate thinks about it - that's all.

[Prbkk]

The whole fiasco took Hopewell quite close to the edge. Gordon Wu made a pretty remarkable comeback. I think he just gave 100m USD to U Chicago...

quote name="PeterSmiles" post="7051186" timestamp="1384747398"]

Frankly, I'm amazed that Mr Wu got his 11.8bn Baht compensation so quickly. One would have thought the Thai legal system more than competent in stringing out the case for a couple of hundred years.

Because he got awarded the compensation doesn't mean he received it actually.

I remember that the government used the tactics you mention in another similar case, I guess it was the Rangsit tollway, and if the German company hadn't taken any drastic measures last year they would indeed still have been waiting for their compensation.

[besth]

I remember when they were building them. I think Italian-Thai const. co. was the same company that built them. Sweet, build something and then get paid to demolish it.

The article says the construction project had been awarded to the HK company.

If I'm not wrong, Italian-Thai did the structure for the BTS. That also went on for years, but it was finally successfully completed.

[besth]

Bkk Stonehedge............I always called it the HOPELESS project. ha ha

+1 and that is what I have always heard it called - if not by the official name - never had heard the Stonehenge name.

[rotary]

One of the "HOPELESS" carriages ended up near Pattaya as the office for a junk dealer. I was in it talking business with him. I asked what he paid, the price I have forgotten now, but it seemed really high for something that made a poor office. It did not have the under carriage as I remember.

[Lakegeneve]

One of the "HOPELESS" carriages ended up near Pattaya as the office for a junk dealer. I was in it talking business with him. I asked what he paid, the price I have forgotten now, but it seemed really high for something that made a poor office. It did not have the under carriage as I remember.

It is the mock up one that I posted a pic of in the previous page? (white with red strip)

[GAS]

I live near where they are tearing this down now, and when I get on the expressway I pass by the Chatuchak bus terminal and there is a massive project going on...are these related?

[Lakegeneve]

I live near where they are tearing this down now, and when I get on the expressway I pass by the Chatuchak bus terminal and there is a massive project going on...are these related?

It is the new SRT Bang Sue Intercity Terminal being built.

I posted a render at post #19 and more info at #26 in this thread, http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/653268-bangkoks-mo-chit-2-bus-terminal-to-be-relocated-ahead-of-aec/

It is related insofar as the SRT Dark Red Line will terminate at the new Bang Sue Terminal until it is later extended to Hualampong, Wong Wain Yai and onwards to Mahachai.

Info on the Dark red line in this thread, http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/406991-the-new-skytrain/