December 28, 2009
The Highways Department is studying the possibility of building a flyover or tunnel to relieve traffic congestion at the Darasamuth School Intersection near Central Festival Phuket.
The first in a series of five planned public hearings on the issue took place at The Metropole Hotel on Thursday morning.
The Highways Department has included the project in its 10-year development plan from 2007 to 2016.
First phase work on the project’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is already underway by project consultants Thai Engineering Consultants (TEC) Company Ltd.
As part of the EIA process, four more public hearings must take place by the end of June, 2010.
Attending Thursday’s hearing were government officers, local businesspeople and residents.
Khasame Srivaranun, who heads the Phuket Highways Department survey, construction and planning division, said the first meeting was simply to introduce the project to the public.
Four alternative structural plans for a flyover or tunnel are under consideration, he said.
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His agency has been informed that land expropriation ‘was not an option’ in the area, which has some of the highest land prices on the island.
“We are studying all engineering, environment and funding aspects and we will listen to all public comments. If the people of Phuket do not want this project, it will be canceled,” he said.
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