Patong Hill tunnel

[landofsmiles]

So here's THAT sign for anyone who hasn't seen it.



What's the bottom left pic meant to signify? Is it the low budget option?...a single vehicle width tunnel maybe with traffic lights each end!!!!

[ATMwalking]

The clip art is funny. Modern stuff on the top and right but some old country road bottom left.

The sign on the fill on the way from kamalalala to patong is funnier. It says something like "improving road for save journey".

I still don't get the point of the signs.

Hey, finish the new middle road in Patong then you get some creditability.

[Dodger]

Also nice big pics or 4 lanes both ways, little old tunnel with just one lane and the other pictures depict it as two lanes.

Kind of makes you realise there is no plan as yet, no actual drawings or costing done, so think this might go to the same place the last plans went.

[LivinLOS]

The big one over from Kathu has a picture of someone pointing at the proposed thing.. I am not 100% but I think thats Pian ?? Looks like I remember him, kinda round faced round nosed ??

[Masterwoodsman]

Originally Posted by LivinLOS

The big one over from Kathu has a picture of someone pointing at the proposed thing.. I am not 100% but I think thats Pian ?? Looks like I remember him, kinda round faced round nosed ??

Humpty Dumpty wasn't it !!!!!

[LivinLOS]

Originally Posted by LivinLOS

The big one over from Kathu has a picture of someone pointing at the proposed thing.. I am not 100% but I think thats Pian ?? Looks like I remember him, kinda round faced round nosed ??

Now heres a curious thing..

Remember there was some speculation (from local Thais) that the billboards meant this was a backroom done deal ??

And remember that the pic had (what I think was) Pians face branded on it.. Thereby associating him with the done deal ??

Well I noticed going over Patong hill a couple of nights ago that the Sign had been altered removing him (and therefore his association ??) I thought this was odd and wondered what that spelt for the project as they obviously went out of thier way to amend / redesign it..

Now today I read..

Patong Hill Underpass Ruled Over the Top on Costs

By Chutima Sidasathian
Wednesday May 14, 2008

PLANS FOR a two-billion baht underpass through Patong Hill have suffered a major setback with Patong Tessaban opting on May 14 to reject the budget for a feasibility study.

The head of the Tessaban board, Raksak Nuset, said the underpass study was too expensive to undertake now.

There was also a danger that the underpass could damage the environment.

Rising prices of land around the hill, land that would have to be compulsorily acquired for the project, has also become an issue.

A new feasibility study would have cost 39,680,000 baht.

Khun Raksak said the project appeared to have taken on a life of its own, without local people being consulted first.

The case for the study has been made by the Mayor of Patong, Pian Geesin.

He believes an underpass would end the hundreds of accidents that occur each year on the windy road across the hill between Kathu and Patong.

Overloaded or underpowered trucks frequently fail to make it over the top and braking buses have been known to slide off the hill in wet weather.

A huge billboard promoting the virtues of an underpass can be seen approaching the top of the hill.

The Tessaban consists of 18 members, representing two parties. Khun Pian has two supporters on the Tessaban. His term as mayor ends on June 19.

[ATMwalking]

2,000,000,000 baht for a tunnel vs what...200,000,000 to vastly improve the existing road? For just the cost of the study they could do a lot of fixing.

Notice they didn't even mention the time it would take to build the tunnel.

Seems like politics for sure. Loosing face before an election can't be good. (btw, I guess this means a few more closing days in June).

[Lightemup]

Well there has been put up side barriers on some of the stretch, where I have seen many a motorbike lay down. So little improvement has been done.