Phuket governor sets Aug 20 deadline for underpass repairs
Repairs to Phuket’s five highway underpasses must be completed by Aug 20, while road safety and security measures are being strengthened across the island.
Phuket Governor Chotinrin has set Aug 20 as the deadline for completing repairs to the island’s five highway underpasses, with contractor penalties continuing until the work is finished.
The governor inspected the underpass project and other public safety measures on July 31. He said work at the Darasamut and Samkong underpasses had been completed, while repairs at the remaining sites, including Chalong, were expected to take another two to three weeks.
The work is being carried out overnight, from about 9pm until before 6am, to avoid disrupting daytime traffic. Better World Traffic Co Ltd has already accumulated B8.3 million in late-completion penalties after missing the Apr 24 contractual deadline for the B48.4 million Smart City traffic management project. The contractor faces fines of B100,000 per day until completion.
Chotinrin also said around 110 people had died in road crashes in Phuket during the first six months of the year. If the trend continues, fatalities could exceed 200 by year-end, which he said would be about 50% higher than last year. Authorities have instructed agencies to intensify public education, traffic enforcement, emergency response and post-crash management.
Following two recent incidents involving women jumping from the Sarasin and nearby Thao Thepkrasattri bridges, authorities have increased patrols and will use the Phuket Eye network, which links more than 700 CCTV cameras. The Department of Highways’ Tha Chatchai Highway Patrol Unit will work with local police and other agencies to strengthen security around the bridges.
