Row over Nan road widening resolved

Row over Nan road widening resolved
Pratch Rujivanarom
The Nation

Road expansion project will spare 800 metre long tunnel of trees

BANGKOK: -- THE UPROAR over the Highways Department's plan to widen a road in Nan province at the expense of towering tree tunnels ended yesterday with the promise that at least one of them would be spared.

Nan Second Highway Division promised to save the 800-metre section of the Pha Sing tree tunnel between posts 383-384 and save as many trees as possible along the 15-kilometre road-expansion project.

Some 500 people attended the forum at Tambon Pha Sing Sub-Administrative Organisation office held by the Nan Second Highway Division to settle the dispute over the chopping down of the verdant trees along the road - Highway 1080 - from Nan to Chloem Phra Kiat.

Prachan Malithong, director of the division, vowed there would be no construction along the |800-metre tree tunnel.

"The project will widen the road to 12 metres but the road along the tree tunnel will remain at nine metres.

"The trees that are beyond 800 metres will be removed to be raised at suitable places but we still have to cut down some trees," he said.

"The contractor who won the bidding is responsible for cutting down and hauling off the trees. The price for all the wood from the project is Bt800,000 and all that money goes to the country's treasury," he said.

For safety, there will be signs warning drivers of a narrow road ahead and light reflectors will |be affixed to every tree in the tunnel.

Board to consider

The proposal to build a parallel road along the tree tunnel instead of widening the road will be passed to the administrative board for consideration.

However, it might not be well received because it will be over the project's budget.

Anunta Intra-aksorn, a volunteer with the Big Trees Project, said the discussion had been disappointing but the group was resigned to the outcome.

The 800-metre tree tunnel will inspire trees conservationists elsewhere.

Kanit Tantisiriwit from Nan Community said the agreement was acceptable to the community, but he hopes that the parallel road plan would be approved.

Development must proceed along with preservation of the country's natural and cultural heritage, he said.

Pornchai Chaitan, headman of Ban Phatube Village in Muang district, also said most of the locals supported the road-widening project but they did not want to see the tree tunnel destroyed.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Row-over-Nan-road-widening-resolved-30256290.html

-- The Nation 2015-03-19