Chao Fa West roadworks face 10-month delay as penalties near B3 million
The Phuket project was due to take 90 days, but completion is now expected around 10 months late, with about 200 metres of central divider still unfinished.
Roadworks on Phuket’s Chao Fa West Road are expected to finish around 10 months behind schedule, with the contractor facing contractual penalties estimated at almost B3 million.
The project was awarded to Phuket-based Thawatchai Civil Limited Partnership and began in July 2025. It was originally scheduled to take 90 days, with completion due by the end of October 2025.
Mr Winai of the Highways Office said the contractor had been liable for a B20,000-per-day penalty since the original contract period expired. He estimated the remaining fine at “almost B3 million”, but declined to explain how many penalty days had been waived. If penalties had been applied continuously from the original deadline, they would have exceeded B5 million.
Mr Winai said relief had been granted for delays attributed to factors beyond the contractor’s control, including objections from local residents and businesses, underground utility works by other government agencies and prolonged wet weather.
Residents and business operators objected to road excavation shortly after construction began, citing traffic disruption and construction noise. The objections continued for almost a month before the matter was referred to the provincial administration in August 2025. Then-Governor Sophon Suwannarat ruled that the project should proceed.
Further delays occurred while water and electricity authorities carried out underground pipe and power-line works, Mr Winai said. The contractor also cited fuel-transport disruptions linked to the conflict in the Middle East, rising rubber prices and increased transport costs.
The Highways Office has yet to explain how long each delay lasted or how many days of penalties were waived, despite repeated enquiries by The Phuket News.
Mr Winai said the carriageway was complete, with about 200 metres of the raised central divider still to be built. Motorists continue to face lengthy queues at the Chao Fa West–Khwang Road intersection, including outside peak hours.
The office has not explained whether traffic-light sequencing will change once the median is finished or whether it will address concerns about the difficult and potentially hazardous exit from Soi Ta-iad onto Chao Fa West Road.
