New Phuket underpass to add more delays to reaching airport

[snoop1130]

New Phuket underpass to add more delays to reaching airport

Tanyaluk Sakoot

 

 

PHUKET:-- Construction of Phuket’s fifth underpass, at the intersection on Thepkrasattri Rd and Route 4026, which leads to Phuket International Airport, will begin in earnest tomorrow (Dec 10), bringing with it more traffic disruptions along the island’s busiest road.

 

Staff at Phuket International Airport have asked travellers boarding flights to account for the delays when calculating their travel time to the airport as disruptions to traffic flow at the intersection are expected to last at least months.

 

A key concern is that the traffic lights at the intersection will be turned off while retaining walls are excavated and put in place, explained Somkiet Yimpong, the Phuket Highways Department engineer tasked with overseeing construction of the underpass.

 

Traffic heading north and south will be able to drive through the intersection unimpeded, he said.

 

“Traffic from Phuket Airport heading toward Phuket Town must first turn left (north) then make a u-turn in order to travel south,” Mr Somkiet explained.

 

Full Story: http://www.thephuketnews.com/new-phuket-underpass-to-add-more-delays-to-reaching-airport-60179.php#5braR4OaR8qKIMlf.97

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2016-12-09

[LivinginKata]

I'll be using the old airport road.

[cornishcarlos]

"Will begin in earnest tomorrow" ?
That implies some sort of time frame is to be met :)

[GiantFan]

1 hour ago, LivinginKata said:

I'll be using the old airport road.

Is that the one that eventually comes out in Thalang on the road going toward Laguna?   Many turns.  I always get lost.

[LivinginKata]

12 minutes ago, GiantFan said:

Is that the one that eventually comes out in Thalang on the road going toward Laguna?   Many turns.  I always get lost.

 

No ... it's the first set of traffic lights on the main north bound highway after the Thalang road traffic lights.  A good few klicks before the new airport road lights. It's a slower twisty road but shorter distance than going more north and up the new airport road , so much the same time. 

[GiantFan]

41 minutes ago, LivinginKata said:

 

No ... it's the first set of traffic lights on the main north bound highway after the Thalang road traffic lights.  A good few klicks before the new airport road lights. It's a slower twisty road but shorter distance than going more north and up the new airport road , so much the same time. 

Rubber plantation on left?

[madmitch]

A right turn flyover from the airport road would be a much better option at this junction, which is hardly a major bottleneck anyway.

 

But the bigger the budget the more lucrative for everybody concerned so an underpass it is.

[GiantFan]

Think I found on Google maps.  Highway 4031 / Thepkrasattri Nai Yang Rd.

[eisfeld]

Quote

Italian-Thai Development Co Ltd (Ital-Thai) is the construction contractor

 

At least that's good news. They've created less of a disaster compared to the other company building underpasses...

But it's still going to take nearly three years.

[LivinginKata]

6 hours ago, GiantFan said:

Think I found on Google maps.  Highway 4031 / Thepkrasattri Nai Yang Rd.

 

Correct

[Bob12345]

9 hours ago, madmitch said:

A right turn flyover from the airport road would be a much better option at this junction, which is hardly a major bottleneck anyway.

 

But the bigger the budget the more lucrative for everybody concerned so an underpass it is.

Couldnt agree more.

 

With a flyover:

- north-south traffic can always flow

- traffic from the south going to airport can always flow (as is the case already)

- traffic from the airport to the north can always flow

- traffic from the airport to the south can always flow

- traffic from the north to the airport will have to do a u-turn, but there barely is any.

 

Simple and cheap solution without risks of flooding.

[Psimbo]

Just now, Bob12345 said:

Couldnt agree more.

 

With a flyover:

- north-south traffic can always flow

- traffic from the south going to airport can always flow (as is the case already)

- traffic from the airport to the north can always flow

- traffic from the airport to the south can always flow

- traffic from the north to the airport will have to do a u-turn, but there barely is any.

 

Simple and cheap solution without risks of flooding.

Therin lies the problem, no 'money' in it!

 

At least with Ital-Thai there will be a more professional job than the Lotus jcn fiasco.

[Psimbo]

10 hours ago, GiantFan said:

Is that the one that eventually comes out in Thalang on the road going toward Laguna?   Many turns.  I always get lost.

There is a shortcut to the Old Airport Road (welll a couple, but one is still gravel) Coming from Cherng Talay, about 500m short of the traffic lights in Thalang there is a sharp right hand bend. Big sign there with 'shortcut to airport' sign turns you left towards the Showgrounds. Bear right there, then first left in the village (big sign).  Left again, then right at the big bend 700m down. stay on that road and it spits you out on the Old Airport Road. Difficult to describe the route but handy when you know it.

[Deli]

There never ever was a major traffic jam, useless project from twits.

Digging up the whole island isn't the solution, if people planning are headless.

 

[steelepulse]

Don't think this one is as much of a cluster ^&#$ as all the other lights farther south.  Ideally there would be no traffic lights from Boat Lagoon all the way to the airport.............

[fester the benevolent]

13 hours ago, eisfeld said:

 

At least that's good news. They've created less of a disaster compared to the other company building underpasses...

But it's still going to take nearly three years.

 

Talk about damning with faint praise!

 

Our gardener armed with his trowel and trusty angle grinder would have done a better job than the 'other company' and I don't generally allow him to do anything more complicated than pruning the rhododendrons.

 

And even then he needs close supervision to prevent him from slicing his own limbs off or killing the electricity supply to the entire neighbourhood.

 

 

[LivinginKata]

8 hours ago, Psimbo said:

There is a shortcut to the Old Airport Road (welll a couple, but one is still gravel) Coming from Cherng Talay, about 500m short of the traffic lights in Thalang there is a sharp right hand bend. Big sign there with 'shortcut to airport' sign turns you left towards the Showgrounds. Bear right there, then first left in the village (big sign).  Left again, then right at the big bend 700m down. stay on that road and it spits you out on the Old Airport Road. Difficult to describe the route but handy when you know it.

 

Not been on any gravel road but I do know that route quite well when I want to take the coast road to the airport from Patong - Kamala - Surim - Cherng Talay. It's not the easiest of roads to navigate, narrow country roads, unexpected turn offs. Not for the faint hearted. 

[stevenl]

Just returned from the airport. Took the old road back, smooth sailing. On way to the airport, heading north, there is a new u-turn just before Susco. Only some cones, street lights not working, almost caught me out.

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[Stargeezr]

I love overpasses much more than underpasses, as they become islands of safety  if

there is flooding in the area.  Underpasses  become lakes  and deathtraps.

Geezer

[Iolare]

On December 10, 2016 at 8:52 AM, Bob12345 said:

Couldnt agree more.

 

With a flyover:

- north-south traffic can always flow

- traffic from the south going to airport can always flow (as is the case already)

- traffic from the airport to the north can always flow

- traffic from the airport to the south can always flow

- traffic from the north to the airport will have to do a u-turn, but there barely is any.

 

Simple and cheap solution without risks of flooding.

 

I concur that a flyover would have been a more practical idea, but there is quite a lot of traffic going north to the Phang Nga beaches and towns (I'm often part of it, living north of the Sarasin Bridge), so a u-turn for north bound traffic wouldn't be a good long term solution.  What would be needed is a major upgrade of the recently closed road that runs parallel to the runway from the terminal to the main highway.  That would provide another major access to the airport and would certainly help those in the north.

[schlog]

17 hours ago, stevenl said:

Just returned from the airport. Took the old road back, smooth sailing. On way to the airport, heading north, there is a new u-turn just before Susco. Only some cones, street lights not working, almost caught me out.

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This 5 or 6 cones are sure tricky in nighttime. Thanks to your warning i was prepared today.

 

At 10am today traffic was smooth and easy to airport.

[stevenl]

 
This 5 or 6 cones are sure tricky in nighttime. Thanks to your warning i was prepared today.
 
At 10am today traffic was smooth and easy to airport.

Today I crossed the intersection once in both directions, also at rush hour, smooth sailing. With the lights off it works fine, and it looked like also from the airport with a U-turn it was no issue.

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