"Spokesman gagged" as fears mount that controversial Pattaya tunnel won't open on August 25th after all

[webfact]

"Spokesman gagged" as fears mount that controversial Pattaya tunnel won't open on August 25th after all

 

Picture: Pattaya News

 

PATTAYA: -- The soap opera that is the Pattaya road tunnel took a new twist at the weekend as local media reported that the spokesman for the project had been gagged.

 

Pattaya News reported that Phinit Maneerat had been told to say nothing about the opening of the tunnel in three weeks' time.

 

He had earlier told media that the tunnel that has suffered delay after delay would open for sure - now it appears it is not so sure.

 

Phinit cancelled a press briefing scheduled for the end of last week saying that he had been told to say nothing more about the opening of the tunnel and was not giving any more interviews.

 

Pattaya News reported that a previous statement that the Department of Rural Roads had given the green light for the opening was not the case.

 

In fact, they said, no such undertaking had been received and the project was still in limbo.

 

Reporters had wanted to meet with the spokesman and other executives to clarify the situation that the tunnel would open without the "specialist" staff to run it having yet been hired.

 

Source: Pattaya News

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-08-07

[wgdanson]

What 'specialist' staff do you need to run a tunnel?

[lonewolf99]

 Does this mean they forgot to put toll stations at both ends ?

[tomwct]

No, the person who is in charge of flooding has not been hired yet! They have him working on the flooding in the Khon Kaen Tunnel.

I guess flooding will be a way of life in Thai Tunnels!

[mikebell]

They have to wait for the subs to arrive from China.

[NCC1701A]

this planning stuff is hard...

[YetAnother]

50 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

this planning stuff is hard...

yes and not even being able to talk about the status doesnt reflect well on the project; or maybe it does....

[Asiantravel]

" Phinit Maneerat had been told to say nothing  "

 

 

[HarrySeaman]

They have claimed that since the tunnel is on top a hill it will never flood so even though they installed super high volume pumps just in case, they don't need to train anyone to run them or maintain them.

 

What they need to do is train a specialist to "open" the lights at night and "open" the lights in the morning (if you don't understand Thai you won't understand that).

 

 

[peterb17]

I had heard that the problem was an underground river- yes they do exist- that for some reason was not picked up before they built the thing. 

 

So there is water damage.

 

Of course this might be just hearsay- but would be interested if anyone else had heard the same story? 

 

Actually the traffic moves quickly at the moment- perhaps the tunnel could be made into a tourist attraction- night market that sort of thing? 

[thaibeachlovers]

5 minutes ago, peterb17 said:

I had heard that the problem was an underground river- yes they do exist- that for some reason was not picked up before they built the thing. 

 

So there is water damage.

 

Of course this might be just hearsay- but would be interested if anyone else had heard the same story? 

 

Actually the traffic moves quickly at the moment- perhaps the tunnel could be made into a tourist attraction- night market that sort of thing? 

Brilliant idea. Imagine a big restaurant there would succeed based on the notoriety alone.

 

Nothing about this surprises me. It was doomed the moment they decided on a tunnel instead of an overpass.

The only thing to be decided now is if they will repeat the same fiasco with the other two tunnels, or if they opt for overpasses, and if this one is open before they start on the next one, or indeed when the next one is finished.

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

Doomed indeed, just like my return to the Darkside.

 

I came here from Bangkok, via Vietnam, to see for myself if NPW and Klang were reconnected. Instead I'm still running between u-turns up and down Suk, the same as it was since early 2015. Two years of crossing death alley is what drove me out of Pattaya. Looks like this continuing prospect will force me to change my plans.  

 

Throw in the new "construction" blockage on the soi between NPW and Khao Noi (beside the PT gas station), which I thought I could use to shop at TOPs, and the disastrous trench on Soi Siam. Well, things have gotten worse.

 

The blockages, of course, mean more traffic for NPW and the Railway Bypass. What will traffic be like in high season. I shudder to think.  

 

 

 

 

 

[decca60]

So we still do not see the light at the end of the tunnel.... will we do one day ???? answer: wait until august 25th!!!!!

[thurien]

1 hour ago, peterb17 said:

 perhaps the tunnel could be made into a tourist attraction- night market

 

and reserve certain plots for "biological mushgroom growing" - the chance of a life-time for the poor spokesman!

[Lamkyong]

3 hours ago, HarrySeaman said:

They have claimed that since the tunnel is on top a hill it will never flood so even though they installed super high volume pumps just in case, they don't need to train anyone to run them or maintain them.

 

What they need to do is train a specialist to "open" the lights at night and "open" the lights in the morning (if you don't understand Thai you won't understand that).

 

 

i understand Thai but i only see English

[Moti24]

"Reporters had wanted to meet with the spokesman and other executives to clarify the situation that the tunnel would open without the "specialist" staff to run it having yet been hired."

 

Specialist staff!  Close the tunnel when it's full of water, and open it when it's not!  How difficult can that be!

[Juan B Tong]

There can be no denying that the "Pattaya Tunnel" is a world class FAIL.

 

Its just a matter of time.  

 

Curious to know who gagged the Maj. Gen'l.

 

It will be a challenge to save face on this one, so I expect an ad nausium number of excuses.

 

Whose bloody idea was it exactly?

[smccolley]

I have suffered with this construction for a long time now, and can't yet figure out what exactly it will do. Can anyone tell me where the thing really goes and what sort of bottleneck it will prevent (presumably?)

[KIWIBATCH]

...Add in the poo and god knows what else pouring out into the sea...and then back up onto the beaches..add in the tunnel fiasco.....plus the LB's continuing to rip jewellery from tourist bodies...scams...taxis with no meters.......etc etc......and you have "A World Class Family Entertainment City" 

[pattayadgw]

Pattaya don't  have too sole rights to the messed up tunnels.... Phuket have done just as wonderful a mess... read all about it.. it's a joke!!  and is ongoing.....:)

[Justgrazing]

3 hours ago, Moti24 said:

"Reporters had wanted to meet with the spokesman and other executives to clarify the situation that the tunnel would open without the "specialist" staff to run it having yet been hired."

 

Specialist staff!  Close the tunnel when it's full of water, and open it when it's not!  How difficult can that be!

You might be suprised here .? p*ss-up , couldn't , organise , brewery and they should cover it .. 

[Justgrazing]

The gag that spokesperson was gagged with .. Was it a proper made gag for the purpose of gagging or was it just an' old sock or a pair of undies or something like that they used .. 

[jacko45k]

15 hours ago, peterb17 said:

I had heard that the problem was an underground river- yes they do exist- that for some reason was not picked up before they built the thing. 

 

So there is water damage.

 

Of course this might be just hearsay- but would be interested if anyone else had heard the same story? 

 

Actually the traffic moves quickly at the moment- perhaps the tunnel could be made into a tourist attraction- night market that sort of thing? 

It is rather difficult to get from Southbound Suk onto Klang at the moment, and bikes using the U-Turn there are making it dangerous. I guess getting into Soi Siam CC for Northbound traffic is also hard.

I like the idea of a night market, people could park over the tunnel and we are back where we were 3 years ago.

[YetAnother]

On 8/7/2017 at 8:34 AM, webfact said:

He had earlier told media that the tunnel that has suffered delay after delay would open for sure

why was that ? this guy was just spewing nonsense ? seems so so often the guys that are talking are the exact guys that should not be doing so and the exact guys we need to ignore in disgust

[YetAnother]

2 hours ago, jacko45k said:

bikes using the U-Turn there are making it dangerous.

i asked a 'traffic engineer' here about road design, u-turn placement, u-turns 'grades' (they have 'grades' ; top, middle,low) and what he said amounted to :'this is the most control we can impose on the general driving public, given the generally low driving skills'; hard to argue that, however the u-turns very often impose new hardships on the locals  whereas the drivers 'driving thru' benefit; typical, the locals lose 

[YetAnother]

i just love it when a spokesperson schedules a news conference and then says 'i cant talk about it'

[Gandtee]

On 8/7/2017 at 8:54 AM, wgdanson said:

What 'specialist' staff do you need to run a tunnel?

Divers?

[YetAnother]

On 8/7/2017 at 8:34 AM, webfact said:

fears mount that controversial Pattaya tunnel won't open on August 25th after all

gosh, how much plainer could it be; spokesman would say Nothing if it was on track ?

[alocacoc]

Once again, keep that tunnel closed. I don't need it. But open the intersection. Why is that closed? WTH?

[NanLaew]

16 hours ago, Juan B Tong said:

Whose bloody idea was it exactly?

(former) Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome.

 

My guess? Maybe the junta, which runs Pattaya directly now, are having some significant challenges with the final "accounting" for the tunnel project that they inherited from the infamous Kunplome family of Chonburi?