Pattaya tunnel to open temporarily for Songkran

[Rimmer]

Pattaya tunnel to open temporarily for Songkran

PATTAYA:--The Central Road bypass tunnel will open for business from April 9-17, then close again.

Contractors had promised that the Sukhumvit Road tunnel, first scheduled to open in February, would finally start operation in time for Songkran to relieve the heaviest traffic congestion of the year. It will open, but not for long.

 

Chief engineer Thitiwat Anuruttikul said the tunnel will open only from April 9-17 to handle the Songkran traffic and give the 900-million-baht project its first real test. (It was open for several hours in December due to a traffic issue.)

The tunnel then will be closed again with a grand opening expected in May. The exact date will depend on details of a planned wheelchair-accessible pedestrian overpass near the tunnel.

 

Thitiwat said the huge project, which has been going on for two years, is reaching the final stages. Already two lanes on Sukhumvit Road have been reopened to traffic and workers are now working on leveling the road surface. Two more lanes will be reopened by the end of March, he said.

 

Read more: http://www.pattayamail.com/featured/pattaya-tunnel-open-temporarily-songkran-169011

 

-- © Copyright Pattaya Mail 2017-03-31

[Chang_paarp]

Is this meant as the flood test?

 

Or as a safety refuge for those wanting to escape the silliness of the water throwing?

[JSixpack]

2 hours ago, Chang_paarp said:

Is this meant as the flood test?

 

Or as a safety refuge for those wanting to escape the silliness of the water throwing?

 

The purpose is clearly stated:

 

Quote

. . . to relieve the heaviest traffic congestion of the year . . . and give the 900-million-baht project its first real test.

 

 

 

It will definitely be a test. Better than not opening it I guess; might shorten somebody's wait in the gridlock, but traffic will still be so dire that it will also represent a new venue for the water battle: under the tunnel. We might be lucky (ha) and fewer Songkraners will show up.

 

[Thaidream]

 

The Pattaya Songkran revelers should never be allowed on Sukhumvit Road and block traffic on a major highway that needs complete accessibility to reach Sattahip and beyond. The tunnel will do little to relieve the congestion unless the police stop this nonsense. 

[jacko45k]

18 hours ago, Rimmer said:

Two more lanes will be reopened by the end of March, he said.

The end of March has passed already!

[mikebell]

2 hours ago, jacko45k said:

The end of March has passed already!

2018

[Langsuan Man]

20 hours ago, Rimmer said:

Two more lanes will be reopened by the end of March, he said.

Of course this was said on the 31st of Mach (the end of March) so were two more lanes opened yesterday or not ?

 

The whole purpose of opening the tunnel for Songkran is once again an ill thought out event.  Sure let's go ahead and let the drivers find out how this is going to work on one of the most heavy traffic day(s) of the year

 

Most road construction projects are "tried" during low peak times when unforseen problems will impact the least number of people, but not here in Thailand 

[wpcoe]

I don't drive, so don't have an eagle eye on the lanes, but I Uber'ed to/from HomePro on Sukhumvit and there didn't seem to be the mess of merging traffic around the tunnel.  I doubt that local drivers have suddenly learned how to handle merging traffic flows, so perhaps there is one or two extra lanes open now?

[onemorechang]

Just for info

The North bound side is a disgrace.

What a f-up.  don't go there 16:00- 19:00 in a 4 wheeled vehicle. 

Also the zero dollar tour buses are back in force now. doing U-turns into the north bound carriageway.

Pattaya the happy zone. traffic grid lock 

 

Edited April 2, 2017 by onemorechang

[gk10002000]

On 3/31/2017 at 7:45 AM, Thaidream said:

 

The Pattaya Songkran revelers should never be allowed on Sukhumvit Road and block traffic on a major highway that needs complete accessibility to reach Sattahip and beyond. The tunnel will do little to relieve the congestion unless the police stop this nonsense. 

Yes.  People will go out to walk and view and tour the darn thing for the novelty it is, and not for a road structure that it should be (which I have my doubts it will be effective at)

[stravers]

I always drive on the road parallel to the train tracks. Never any traffic and smooth sailing. Makes a much better alternative than Sukhumvit today and long before tunnel construction started. I can't be the only one preferring this road over Sukhumvit??

[Langsuan Man]

3 hours ago, stravers said:

I always drive on the road parallel to the train tracks. Never any traffic and smooth sailing. Makes a much better alternative than Sukhumvit today and long before tunnel construction started. I can't be the only one preferring this road over Sukhumvit??

I do to until I come to every intersection where the term right of way is completely foreign to the Thai drivers

 

They gave up on traffic lights the same day they opened it  

[johng]

I always drive on the road parallel to the train tracks. Never any traffic and smooth sailing.

It's hardly smooth more like a roller coaster ride with some bone shaking potholes thrown in for good measure and as already mentioned every cross road is a free for all , frequently grid locked and very dangerous if not....I prefer to take Sukhumvit.

[i claudius]

Couldnt care less ,the misses is off to visit her mum over Songkran and i stay home ,watch tv , sleep and take it easy , let the idiots drown each other ,bet there will be a crash in the tunnel and the whole thing will be gridlock

[Litlos]

What a shame as I am heading of for work for 4 weeks and will miss this.  Just hopefully the plane is not loaded with religious fanatic pilgrims who exhibit zero commonsense and courtesy, sort of like Songkran without the water.

 

So hopefully the roadworks will be finished when I get back in May, not holding my breath on that one.

 

Cheers

[DMC1]

I went to Index yesterday and it didn't look like the tunnel was open??

 

[mok199]

pattaya is on the fast track to ''chocking itself to death''...I see only one solution ,and that is a safe zone designated to be traffic free ""and that means all traffic''no disgusting buses or scooters, I suggest beach rd/freeway to be designated as our new ''sanctuary of peace and <deleted> QUIET''...sawdee no crp

[JSixpack]

11 minutes ago, mok199 said:

pattaya is on the fast track to ''chocking itself to death''...I see only one solution ,and that is a safe zone designated to be traffic free ""and that means all traffic''no disgusting buses or scooters, I suggest beach rd/freeway to be designated as our new ''sanctuary of peace and <deleted> QUIET''...sawdee no crp

No. Cf. Bangkok

[WhizBang]

The tunnel was not open yesterday.  By early afternoon there was gridlock as some roads were closed off for a while.  Whoever is in control of this mess has no clue as to what they are doing.

[johng]

Yesterday it took 1 and a half hours to get from "Central festival the beach" car park to home at Na-Jomtien (approximately 12km) due to the gridlock and aggressive "me first" drivers in the central city zone,as soon as we got on Sukhumvit it was plain sailing.

[DMC1]

The tunnel was not open yesterday.  By early afternoon there was gridlock as some roads were closed off for a while.  Whoever is in control of this mess has no clue as to what they are doing.

Aha so it was merely a deception to encourage more people to come to Pattaya during Songkran for the 'tunnel experience'!!

[MarkusAUST]

It wasn't open when I went to Foodland an hour ago either. If it is serviceable, they should open it, as the traffic there is always gridlocked at busy times of day.

[JSixpack]

26 minutes ago, WhizBang said:

The tunnel was not open yesterday.  By early afternoon there was gridlock as some roads were closed off for a while.  Whoever is in control of this mess has no clue as to what they are doing.

 

You should know better than to take Thai schedules very seriously, unless for the usual TVF finger-pointing purposes. Maybe they did have a clue and determined that if it ain't ready, it ain't ready, so that it's good from a safety point of view.

 

But we got 5 days before the peak day yet. Nor will it prevent gridlock then; don't expect the impossible. May help some, that's about all.

[johng]

I'll be "controversial" and suggest that maybe they didn't open it because it was flooded by the recent heavy rains...or everyone with authority to open it went home for Songkran ?

[NanLaew]

38 minutes ago, johng said:

Yesterday it took 1 and a half hours to get from "Central festival the beach" car park to home at Na-Jomtien (approximately 12km) due to the gridlock and aggressive "me first" drivers in the central city zone,as soon as we got on Sukhumvit it was plain sailing.

 

31 minutes ago, MarkusAUST said:

It wasn't open when I went to Foodland an hour ago either. If it is serviceable, they should open it, as the traffic there is always gridlocked at busy times of day.

Why does anyone need to go shopping during Songkran? It's not as if you didn't know that the traffic would be bad.

[Langsuan Man]

Who cares , it doesn't go anywhere !

 

All it will do is appear to relieve some of the traffic between Klang and Tai,  but once it hits Tai going South and Naklua going North you are back to 10 lbs of sh.... in the proverbial,  5 lbs bag   

 

Can't see yet where it is going to do anything for the poor sods that have to drive on Soi Country Club road

 

In this much time you could have built three flyovers.   At Naklua,  Klang and Tai.   They have already done so between  Laem Chabang and Si Racha. They also  widened the Service road and build an entrance to the Toll Way but must be a different contractor than the one Pattaya was saddled with 

[johng]

The reason now given for not opening for the Songkran holiday is that the safety checks have to be carried out and these extensive tests take a month...so it should be very very safe when it opens !

[johng]

Why does anyone need to go shopping during Songkran? It's not as if you didn't know that the traffic would be bad.

She who must be obeyed...wanted to take the in-laws to go "somewhere" as long as the "somewhere" had food and air con.
I didn't expect the traffic to be as bad as it was buy yes should have known better..

[NanLaew]

19 hours ago, Langsuan Man said:

Who cares , it doesn't go anywhere !

 

All it will do is appear to relieve some of the traffic between Klang and Tai,  but once it hits Tai going South and Naklua going North you are back to 10 lbs of sh.... in the proverbial,  5 lbs bag   

 

Can't see yet where it is going to do anything for the poor sods that have to drive on Soi Country Club road

 

In this much time you could have built three flyovers.   At Naklua,  Klang and Tai.   They have already done so between  Laem Chabang and Si Racha. They also  widened the Service road and build an entrance to the Toll Way but must be a different contractor than the one Pattaya was saddled with 

Agreed. I was lucky enough to catch the earlier temporary opening of the south bound tunnel a few months back and can confirm I got to the red light at Tai exactly 6.8 seconds sooner.

[joepattaya1961]

20 hours ago, NanLaew said:

 

Why does anyone need to go shopping during Songkran? It's not as if you didn't know that the traffic would be bad.

Whether some people choose for it or not, they HAVE TO go out and have no choice.

One of those 'some' was me yesterday and yes I had to go to the back of The Avenue and there's no other way than Soi Bhuakow or 2nd Road...........

I tried 2nd road first........wet!!

On my way back......Soi Bhuakow.......wet!!

And as a bonus on the corner of Tai and 3rd Road.......wetter!!

 

And most annoying.....all of the CxxxUyyyNxxxTxxxS.....foreigners!! Foreigners with a happy big smile and a lack of brains. 

 

God do I hate this Thai "tradition".