Phuket bypass traffic hell about to get even worse

[webfact]

Phuket bypass traffic hell about to get even worse
Tanyaluk Sakoot


The cross-hatched area is the site of the excavation for the underpass. North-soutth traffic will be unaffected but anything else (red lines) will be a trial.

PHUKET: -- If you thought the traffic at the Samkong intersection on the bypass road was bad, wait till Saturday (December 6). It’s about to get a lot worse.

Saturday, at one minute past midnight, is when the road will be closed to allow the underpass contractor to dig the big hole across the junction from north to south, blocking all traffic from crossing the intersection from east to west and vice-versa.

The work will take up to three months, Project Engineer Chalermpol Wongkiattikun from the Department of Highways told The Phuket News this morning.

“Actually, I think, we will finish before March 1. But I have given that as the finish date just in case [there are holdups].”

He explained that the big trench across the intersection will mean it will be impossible to go straight through the intersection from Samkong (Yoawarat Rd) to Kathu (Phra Phuket Keaw Rd) and vice-versa.

It will also be impossible for traffic from Kathu to turn south or go straight on. Instead, drivers will have to go north to the Thanachart Bank, make a U-turn and come back to the lights.

Similarly, it will be impossible for traffic from Samkong to turn right or go straight on; drivers will have to go left, to the U-turn at the International Hospital, then go back to the lights.

Traffic from the north wanting to go to Kathu and traffic from the south wanting to go to Phuket Town will also have to go through the lights, do a U-turn and come back.

Mr Chalermpol added, “We have already had talks with the police. We will set up route maps and signs so that peple are well informed.”

Phuket Town Police Superintendent Sermphan Sirikong told The Phuket News, “We already know about this and the superintendent of traffic will talk with the construction people before they close the road.

“We have a plan to organise police to direct the traffic efficiently.”

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-bypass-traffic-hell-about-to-get-even-worse-49955.php

-- Phuket News 2014-12-03

[N47HAN]

This is going to be fun ..... :-(

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Edited December 3, 2014 by N47HAN

[JoePai]

Think yourselves lucky Phuket - they will be starting the tunnel in Pattaya soon and that will take 2 or 3 years (if ever really finished) and that will be traffic murder

[madmitch]

This is going to be fun ..... :-(

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

It'll be fine. The police will be organising the traffic efficiently.

[jocko]

Just in time for the high season.

[NamKAheng]

[backstairs]

Can an engineer tell us why they never considered fly-overs? They are not more expensive surely?

[stevehaigh]

Can an engineer tell us why they never considered fly-overs? They are not more expensive surely?

because they make too much sense

i'm really glad i never need to go north of home pro/villa market any more

Edited December 3, 2014 by stevehaigh

[PhyllisStein]

Can an engineer tell us why they never considered fly-overs? They are not more expensive surely?

A Thai engineer told me it was for aesthetics(!) as flyovers would be an eyesore in a tourist resort...

[maidee]

i guess making a road being able to go straight forward, would be too much to ask, right ?

[JetsetBkk]

Shouldn't the map say "TO Kathu" and "TO Sam Kong"?

[backstairs]

But a flyover does not flood.

[Shot]

Never give Crayons to an Engineer.

[Doc46]

Think yourselves lucky Phuket - they will be starting the tunnel in Pattaya soon and that will take 2 or 3 years (if ever really finished) and that will be traffic murder

If i get finished would one be game /save to drive trough the tunnel?

[KamalaRider]

Just in time for the high season.

It doesn't matter much as tourists seldom travel to that side of Phuket.

It's much worse for the locals and us expats, not to mention all the transports coming in to Phuket, I guess they will go straight in to Phuket town instead of the bypass Rd.

That will cause even worse traffic jams in Phuket town.

I just wonder how much Central festival have lost in revenues, not to mention all the other businesses along bypass up to central festival.

[LivinginKata]

I avoid that area completely. From Kata I take the Patong/Surin coast road to get to the airport. Reminds me of the days years ago when they were developing the main high way north off the island. Nightmare to use, now same nightmare to use the bypass road.

[RigPig]

Can an engineer tell us why they never considered fly-overs? They are not more expensive surely?

because they make too much sense

i'm really glad i never need to go north of home pro/villa market any more

Your (and mine) turn will come, the last I heard they are going to do the same there and get rid of the roundabout, because Thais don't know what to do at it.....

[backstairs]

So you take kata/patong/surin roads to airport. You would have hated it yesterday. Jam from surin to c.talay.

[capt_canada42]

according to Alastar at the Phuket News they had a vote for the locals to decide what to do and people who don't understand traffic decided for all of to have underpasses instead of over passes that could have been built in a heart beat thus the engineers listened to local idiots instead of their training

[jacko45k]

Is there a reason peak season was chosen to do this?

[SilverBeast]

Is there a reason peak season was chosen to do this?

No rain?

[stevehaigh]

Is there a reason peak season was chosen to do this?

No rain?

more likely because they are ready with the other parts. they did the central tunnel in the rainy season and it is working now i guess.

[stevenl]

according to Alastar at the Phuket News they had a vote for the locals to decide what to do and people who don't understand traffic decided for all of to have underpasses instead of over passes that could have been built in a heart beat thus the engineers listened to local idiots instead of their training

Yes, everybody has something to say about everything these days, whether they know what they're talking about or not.

Just look at TVF

[fester the benevolent]

Can an engineer tell us why they never considered fly-overs? They are not more expensive surely?

I'd like to hear an answer to this also.

I'm just Joe Public but it seems to me that they could put up flyovers with less (or at most equal) disruption to traffic and then when ready simply open the on/off ramps when finished.

The elevated tollways in BKK seem to work pretty well so go the "whole hog" and put up a flyover somewhere near Boat Lagoon and with on/off at both Samkong and just south of Central, limit access to only 4 wheeled vehicles and you'd split the slow moving and localised traffic off onto the ground and everybody else would just, well, fly over as it were.

Oh well...

[catweazle]

“We have a plan to organise police to direct the traffic efficiently.”

[Shot]

Can an engineer tell us why they never considered fly-overs? They are not more expensive surely?

Because it would block the view of all the beautiful billboards.

[LivinginKata]

Can an engineer tell us why they never considered fly-overs? They are not more expensive surely?

Because it would block the view of all the beautiful billboards.

Because underpass is much more expensive = much (much) more tea money.

[backstairs]

Where does one sign up for this tea money business? Moving forward.

[DrDave]

Can an engineer tell us why they never considered fly-overs? They are not more expensive surely?

I was wondering the same thing while sitting in traffic just north of the Samkong intersection today.

What's not clear to me, is how anyone will be able to make the required U-Turns in the new configuration. Keep in mind that both the north and southbound traffic is backed up for hundreds of meters from the intersection at many times of the day. How will one be able to make the U-Turn into the north or southbound lanes that are already choked with traffic at a standstill?

[fester the benevolent]

I was wondering the same thing while sitting in traffic just north of the Samkong intersection today.

What's not clear to me, is how anyone will be able to make the required U-Turns in the new configuration. Keep in mind that both the north and southbound traffic is backed up for hundreds of meters from the intersection at many times of the day. How will one be able to make the U-Turn into the north or southbound lanes that are already choked with traffic at a standstill?

Heh - they could build an underpass to get around the problems caused by building the underpass!

Underpass 2: Traffic Boogaloo!