First Phuket tollway to be approved linking Kathu and Patong

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First Phuket tollway to be approved linking Kathu and Patong

By The Thaiger

 

 

PHOTOS: Phuket People’s Voice

 

Phuket’s first ever tolled highway, to be built linking Kathu to Patong route, is awaiting approval from the government’s committee on public-private partnership. This will be the first ever highway in Thailand that allows motorcycles, according to the media release.

 

The infamous, and much-discussed, Patong Tunnel, and accompanying link roads, has been a slow-burn story over the past two decades, popping up with a new twist a couple of times each year. Every time there is another round of studies, negotiations, pretty plans shown to the media… than nothing.

 

This latest proposal would mean that the new highway, and access to the tunnel, will be tolled.

 

The Director of Expressway Authority of Thailand, or EXAT, says he will visit Phuket to follow up with the progress on the Kathu-Patong highway, a 4 kilometre long highway with a budget of 14 billion baht. He will also meet and talk to locals about the process to expropriate lands for the project in order to make the least impact on them.

 

The project is now waiting for the approval from the government committee overseeing public/private partnership funding for the project.

 

After the PPP’s approval, the papers will be filed to cabinet for final budget approval. Meanwhile, the EXAT is issuing a royal decree zoning the land planned for expropriation in Patong and Kathu. They’ve already sent officials from the land office to discuss with the local authorities to use the public land and try to avoid private land as much as possible.

 

The local authorities are being largely positive as the highway will provide a lot of benefits to Phuket, taking a lot of traffic from side roads and linking two of the busiest areas in the island.

 

Some areas fall under national park zoning and officials are discussing with the forestry department about taking over a small portion of this land to avoid disturbing local communities along the proposed route. The route would take the traffic in a different direction than the current route across Patong Hill and along Phra Phuket Kaen Road, instead going through the mountain south of the current Patong Hill Road and through current forest areas to relink with the By-Pass Road.

 

Local land agreements will be made soon before filing to the Ministry of Transport, then to the cabinet.

 

Phuket People’s Voice reports that the current schedule is to start building the highway next year, to be ready in 2021.

 

The project’s starting point connects with Phra Metta Road in Patong, passes over Pisit Koranee Road, all the way to the mountain (Patong Hill) for 0.9 km, then there is a tunnel (the tunnel!!!!!) through the mountain for 1.85 kilometres followed by a highway for 1.23 kilometres, that finishes in Kathu connecting with highway route 4029.

 

There will be 6 lanes, 3 lanes on each side. The left lane will be constructed as social motorcycle lane. This is the initiative from local authorities to allow motorcyclists on the highway to solve traffic problem and reduce accidents on the current route 4029 which connects Phuket town, Kathu and Patong.

 

This highway is also expected to be an evacuation route in case of urgent evacuations.

 

The construction of a tunnel between Patong and Kathu has been a talking point for two decades.

 

SOURCE: เสียงประชาชน คนภูเก็ต Phuket People’s Voice

 

 

Source: https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/transport/first-phuket-highway-to-be-approved-linking-kathu-and-patong

 

 

-- © Copyright The Thaiger 2019-11-29

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[Destiny1990]

Looks great !

Who is gonna dig it?

[Deli]

13 minutes ago, Destiny1990 said:

Looks great !

Who is gonna dig it?

 

Earthworms, I guess ????

If they really wanna do this, the only way to make it happen is giving the contract for 100 % to a western and experienced company in this field.

Otherwise... death trap.

[madmitch]

Unusually they haven't given a proposed finishing date. Not that it would bear any semblance to reality

[natway09]

30 years late but looks good.

The amount of monies that Phuket must have put in the bucket in the last 30 + years would suggest that Central Government builds it & maybe a high speed train douwe ?    Oops sorry

[Old Croc]

Every year or so a new article on this mythical tunnel appears, complete with fanciful illustrations of a road disappearing into a mountain.

Each time it seems to have gone backwards in the processing cycle and new consultation and ecological studies are required.

Last time around they were seeking investors to bid for control of the project and begin the next stage of construction. Yet here we are , back in discussion with land holders and seeking permissions to cross park land.  Is there a never empty well of consultancy funds to be shared out without there ever being someone stupid enough to want to actually build the thing?  

[DrDave]

Somebody's making a lot of money off the never-ending cycle of studies, so I'd expect these studies to continue ad nauseum without any real construction occurring anytime in the foreseeable future.

[Somtamnication]

April Fool's?

[pattayadgw]

Lets re-discuss in 20 years ????

 

[swellbelly]

Finish in 2021? If it's even started in 2021, i will take my hat off to all concerned. Once started to build a tunnel of that length is a 3 year project at least.

[DLock]

A highway tunnel that connects to a 1-lane slow-road in Patong or Nanai rd.

 

I'm no engineer, but this just have dumb idea written all over it.

 

...and the last place I want to be caught in a traffic backup is a tunnel built by Thai's.

[pattayadgw]

talk is cheap..... when?????