Thai Transport Ministry allocates 3.9 billion baht to repair damaged highways

[webfact]

Transport Ministry allocates 3.9 billion baht to repair damaged highways

BANGKOK, 10 October 2014 (NNT) - The Transport Ministry has allocated around 370 million baht out of the total 3.9 billion in order to repair community highways that have been damaged by natural disasters.

Air Chief Marshal Prajin Juntong, in his capacity as the Transport Minister, stated the project was done to comply with the requests of local residents who have been facing problems while traveling.

The ministry is set to revamp a total of 72 community highways that have been affected by natural disasters such as floods and by the recent Chiang Rai Earthquake in May.

He also ordered that the project must be carried out transparently and have a good management system to ensure the best results.

Regarding other transport-related projects in 2015, the ministry is mulling over to expand several highway routes throughout the country at a total budget of 40 billion baht.


-- NNT 2014-10-10

[kotsak]

I hope they repair Highway 11 going through Phichit.. Haven't seen worse in my life

[HeijoshinCool]

Better it had been used to repair a severely damaged reputation.

[jacky54]

that means 3 billion creamed off and 900 actually spent on the repairs.

[madmitch]

Does overuse by HGVs and buses count as a natural disaster?

And does siphoning off half the budget also count as a natural disaster? Actually, no, I think that's a National disaster.

[samran]

Will wait to see if 30% is creamed.

[ginjag]

that means 3 billion creamed off and 900 actually spent on the repairs.

As was the case for the last 3 years, Where did the 3 year highways budget go ??? the major repairs are not for the last 4 months.

Yesterday drove Jomptien to Udon Thani. ---nightmare condition---motor cyclists, at a night NO GO. offside lane not without large deep pot holes, nearside diabolical, driving -you need near full attention on the road surface.-----roads 331---304--highway 2. beware, results buckled alloy wheels---deep holes along the whole 630 kilometers. At night you cannot spot them.

[jaltsc]

"...has allocated around 370 million baht out of the total 3.9 billion in order to repair community highways that have been damaged by natural disasters."

How about investing in the biggest natural disaster affecting the highways? Ridding the highways of THE DRIVERS, who have no idea what to do when they are behind the wheel.

[ezzra]

The culprits are the over loaded lories that ply those highways plain and simple, those lories

are way exceeding their weight per axle and nary a weight checking station are in sight, and if you

see one, than no truck are being seen to enter and weigh them selves,

This is the case of I don't see it, so I can't care for it, not my problem, let some one else

fix and take the blame...

[kannot]

Roads thru my village have tarmac about 3mm thick, sometimes it lasts a whole month, the roads are a disgrace and a joke.

[nativealien]

Hope they spend some of it on Jomtien Second Road. Floods by Kiss Restaurant after only a brief shower, more waves than the ocean, turning lanes only as wide as a motorcycle, big stretch of street lights have never worked, very poorly planned U-Turns and intersections, so dirty grass is growing in the road. I could go on. And, this is a fairly new road! Could say about the same things for Thappraya Road. So poorly designed and built, both of them.

[slapout]

It was a waste of budget money to invest in the asphalt laying equipment, a paint roller would give the same after look and may even put down more black colored material on the surface. They do not even use hot application in our area, still common to see a man running with 5 gallon bucket with holes in bottom and his boss following with a mop to spread it around a bit, I have observed the repair of the same location where a pothole appears yearly for the past 20 years. The locals will dump excess sand, rock. cement,tree limbs, etc until it gets so outragious that another halfarse attack is made.

[ginjag]

Hope they spend some of it on Jomtien Second Road. Floods by Kiss Restaurant after only a brief shower, more waves than the ocean, turning lanes only as wide as a motorcycle, big stretch of street lights have never worked, very poorly planned U-Turns and intersections, so dirty grass is growing in the road. I could go on. And, this is a fairly new road! Could say about the same things for Thappraya Road. So poorly designed and built, both of them.

I'm sure the Pattaya city council will be surprised/unaware of any problems--their resources are limited Their planning department is near non existent-or not adhering to rules and specifications==== just built a residence in front of my condo, blocking my view, no notice of intension. Roads-highways dep / planning/ in cities and towns are corrupt to the hilt.

Pattaya---joke---take a walk down from centre road to walking street, shop side of the road, IF YOU CAN.

[tim armstrong]

YES it another example of endemic corruption, but don't underestimate the technical difficulties involved and the costs. In Oz 20 years ago it cost $1 mill per kilometre to fix a road. There are a lot of roads in Thailand. In the short term there may have to be a few more tollways to help absorb the costs, and some restrictions indeed on freight, or a revamp of the rail freight network

[Robby nz]

So it seems there is general agreement that this work needs to be done.

However there are those who still believe the kickbacks that increased in the previous two and a half years will still apply.

This we will have to wait and see but it must be remembered we are now under new management and hopefully the fight against corruption will have more substance than that of the previous administration who though it such a joke as they held hands on a stage with an anti-corruption sign. Then whose first act in their fight against corruption was to cut the budgets of the anti-corruption agencies.

These budgets have now been increased again, although not as yet to the previous level, new people brought in and arrests have in the last few months been made and are still being made.

Corruption is indeed a many headed monster that will not be easy to kill but we do see a start being made.

[nong38]

It would be a start if they built to a good standard in the first place then they might las ta lot longer. The downside is that there would be no more remedial work next year, but I could certainly live with that, I think a lot of Thai drivers could as well. Construction workers might have a few more days off.

[akampa]

3 bn a drop in the ocean Mazda wants to build a factory, a friggn factory for gods sake with a 12 bn investment

[kuiburi]

I hope they repair Highway 11 going through Phichit.. Haven't seen worse in my life

Try phetkasem , highway no. 4 in prachuap , really can't be worse then that .

[kuiburi]

My brother in law was asked to check the company that would build a new road where he lives , tarmac should be 10 cm thick (no heavy traffic, going up in the mountains) He refused , when I asked why, he just awnsered " not interested in my own funeral yet " .

Says enough for me .

The road they have now is worse then the dirtroad they had before .

[Jeremy50]

The roads in this country are destroyed by overloaded trucks, who once they have broken up one lane move onto another to do the same. These idiots even drive in the cycle lane to avoid the potholes that they themselves have made. A lot of these trucks are hauling rock to various futile 'mega-projects' pushed and promoted by the corrupt maggots who 'run' this place.

[chickenslegs]

that means 3 billion creamed off and 900 actually spent on the repairs.

This time it will be different. There is an Air Chief Marshal in charge of road maintenance.

[ginjag]

that means 3 billion creamed off and 900 actually spent on the repairs.

This time it will be different. There is an Air Chief Marshal in charge of road maintenance.

May be better than the cabinet minister who supposedly controlled the highways department in PTP government, what was he qualified in ??? building an account, because the roads deteriorated over the last 3 years. Repairs were shoveling piles of stones in the holes.

The biggest problems driving is when you find a good few kilometers, suddenly falling into the trap and slam a wheel into a deep pot hole. This is not England, BUT most of the main highways would be completely closed off if they were in the condition of these Thai 4 main routes.

[hawker9000]

So after the usual skim, that should leave about how much? Maybe enough for a few potholes along a 50ft stretch of highway somewhere?

[Eneukman]

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Hope they spend some of it on Jomtien Second Road. Floods by Kiss Restaurant after only a brief shower, more waves than the ocean, turning lanes only as wide as a motorcycle, big stretch of street lights have never worked, very poorly planned U-Turns and intersections, so dirty grass is growing in the road. I could go on. And, this is a fairly new road! Could say about the same things for Thappraya Road. So poorly designed and built, both of them.

Also remember that both these roads took around 5 years to complete. I drove a small stretch of Jomtien 2nd road yesterday morning and it was a disgrace. A few more heavy showers and there will be more potholes than actual road!

Alan

[Chris Lawrence]

that means 3 billion creamed off and 900 actually spent on the repairs.

This time it will be different. There is an Air Chief Marshal in charge of road maintenance.

May be better than the cabinet minister who supposedly controlled the highways department in PTP government, what was he qualified in ??? building an account, because the roads deteriorated over the last 3 years. Repairs were shoveling piles of stones in the holes.

The biggest problems driving is when you find a good few kilometers, suddenly falling into the trap and slam a wheel into a deep pot hole. This is not England, BUT most of the main highways would be completely closed off if they were in the condition of these Thai 4 main routes.

Yeah, they will fill in the pot holes Gin, and then get a platoon of soldiers to run over the top to smooth them out. This cost will come out of the 3 billion baht?

Thank god for the military coup

[ginjag]

that means 3 billion creamed off and 900 actually spent on the repairs.

This time it will be different. There is an Air Chief Marshal in charge of road maintenance.

May be better than the cabinet minister who supposedly controlled the highways department in PTP government, what was he qualified in ??? building an account, because the roads deteriorated over the last 3 years. Repairs were shoveling piles of stones in the holes.

The biggest problems driving is when you find a good few kilometers, suddenly falling into the trap and slam a wheel into a deep pot hole. This is not England, BUT most of the main highways would be completely closed off if they were in the condition of these Thai 4 main routes.

Yeah, they will fill in the pot holes Gin, and then get a platoon of soldiers to run over the top to smooth them out. This cost will come out of the 3 billion baht?

Thank god for the military coup

Yeah !! but what was the budget for the accumulated 3 years that PTP allocated to highways, and if you know that figure, where did it go ??? it certainly did not go to the road re surfacing--explain that.......it was 3 years of the PTP that was responsible for the deterioration of highways, how anyone can blame the army now for that is unbelievable.

Thank god the Shins/PTP are removed, and I agree, thank god for the military intervention. No more denial on the fault here it stands out a mile, Yingluck did not travel on these highways she was out of the country most of the time to know how bad the highways were.

[biggles45]

"that means 3 billion creamed off and 900 actually spent on the repairs. "

That is why the roads are in bad condition, they siphon off so much cash there isnt enough left to do a good job? The extra lane on Sukumvit south of pattaya is a good example. Within six months of completion you couldnt ride a motorbike on it for potholes. So now they reward the thieves by giving them more money to fix it??