Dig up the sois

[Gaybutton]

Along with this latest news about digging up Walking Street yet again, that is by far not the only soi that gets dug up. There are sois all over town getting dug up, some repeatedly and some where I, for one, have seen no problems that need to be solved by digging up, resurfacing, or anything else.

At least they're doing it during low season.

In my opinion, if they want to improve sois where most needed, how about putting in a good number of speed bumps where the motorbike maniacs cause so much trouble? I don't know why that hasn't been done years ago.
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Pattaya Plans to Dig Up Part of Walking Street One More Time for Underground Cable Project

By Aim Tanakorn

26 July, 2024

Pattaya City is planning to dig up part of the city’s iconic Walking Street once again initially from the front up to the entrance to proceed with an underground utility cable project.

On July 24th, 2024, executives from the Chonburi Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) met with Pattaya Mayor Mr. Poramase Ngampiches to discuss the upcoming underground cable project along Walking Street.

According to the city’s announcement, the project involves installing underground conduits and pipes for electrical systems as part of the PEA’s Lot 6 development, which covers the area from Royal Garden Plaza to the front of Walking Street. The work includes excavating the street for about 350 meters before repaving.

The objective of the project is to enhance the safety and efficiency of the city’s overall electrical system.

However, the mayor and city officials expressed concerns about potential disruptions to both residents and tourists, as this new round of digging might impact the already mostly completed Walking Street.

Mr. Poramase advised the PEA to coordinate with National Telecom Plc (NT) to do their works simultaneously to avoid repeated excavations of the street and minimize disruption to tourists.

In a follow-up meeting on July 25th, 2024, NT’s representative stated that integrating telecommunications conduit work into the PEA’s project was not feasible within the initially planned 30-day timeline. They proposed extending the combined project duration to 45 days to make sure that the job can be completed safely and with quality.

The meeting concluded with a decision to start the combined work on July 30th, 2024, with completion expected by mid-September 2024.

Pattaya officials instructed the project management team to set up proper warning signs and notify businesses and the public to lower pressure people might have on the on-site workers. The officials stressed that this new roadwork must be completed before the high tourist season to preserve the city’s world-class tourism image.

https://thepattayanews.com/2024/07/26/p ... e-project/

[thewayhelooks]

"The officials stressed that this new roadwork must be completed before the high tourist season."
Yeah right. As if that ever happens. I wish I had shares in the "company' hired to excavate streets around Pattaya - I'd be a multi-millionaire with these projects that go on year after year. But I guess only a handful of those with connections ever get the benefits of the public purse. It was ever thus.

[Gaybutton]

I guess only a handful of those with connections ever get the benefits of the public purse. It was ever thus.

Even then the work is often shoddy. Where digging is going on there is all too often news items about a motorbike crashing into the holes because there were no adequate lights or barriers. And just as often something goes wrong with the work, such as parts of it collapsing or other problems. And the construction companies often have to be ordered to finish the work, repair the work, or whatever - and they usually come up with lame excuses.

It very nearly happened to me. I was returning to Pattaya from Bangkok in the middle of the night. There was some sort of construction job taking place on the expressway - no lights. No barriers. No nothing. If I hadn't spotted it in just the nick of time I would have crashed right into it. And at expressway speeds, I probably would not have survived.

[Gaybutton]

And speaking of shoddy work - this is far from the first time. Sheer luck nobody was hurt this time.
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Another falling-object mishap on Rama II Road

Fragment of metal sheet embedded in hood of pickup truck but no one injured

July 31, 2024



A section of a metal sheet is embedded in a passing pickup truck after falling from the elevated highway being built above Rama II Road on Monday. (Photo: FM19 Trafficpro)

The Department of Highways is investigating an accident in which a sheet of metal fell onto a car on Rama II Road, the latest of several mishaps on the perennially under-construction route.

The accident took place near the Wat Pak Bo junction on Monday at around 11.45am beneath an under-construction elevated highway, said Sarawut Songsivilai, the department’s director-general.

Arjin Rodthani, 46, the owner of the damaged pickup, said the 50cm metal sheet was embedded in the hood of his pickup truck. The accident shocked him and his family, who were in the car at the time of the accident, he added.

News about the accident went viral on social media and attracted criticism from the public.

Rama II Road, where construction of one type or another has been going on for four decades, has been the site of a number of accidents involving construction materials falling on vehicles. Some of them resulted in fatalities.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin recently ordered the numerous agencies concerned to get their act together and ensure that all work will be finished next year.

Mr Sarawut said the mishap on Monday occurred outside the approved construction hours, which are between 8pm and 5am to reduce traffic problems. It was initially found that stormy weather and strong winds caused the metal sheet to fall. Nobody was injured, he added.

The contractor in charge of the construction project has compensated the pickup owner and was ordered to stop construction for three days so that a detailed investigation into the accident could be made.

If it is found that the contractor failed to comply with safety measures, it will face legal action and its reputation points will be deducted.

The Department of Highways has ordered its staff to inspect all of the ongoing construction projects on the road to prevent a similar event from happening again.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... ma-ii-road

[Jun]

They have been digging up Pattaya Tai for new underground wiring ducts. The last round of digging for that was only 2 or 3 years ago. At least they are cracking on with it and it looks professional, by Pattaya standards.

There is a big drain pipe going in Jomtien beach road. I'd estimate about 1.5m in diameter. I've no idea whether that's enough, particularly as anything parallel to the beach should have almost no gradient. They have a long section of digging and an even longer section where they have dug up the pavement and just left it. The nice part, where people can normally walk in shade. I presume they just want to discourage tourists?

No current digging on Pattaya beach road. Very unusual.

They have put in a multi-coloured pedestrian crossing on second road near the Royal Garden Plaza. I've no idea what standard that follows. There's a similar, but much longer long multi coloured stretch at the top of beach road, but I don't thing that's supposed to be a pedestrian crossing.

At least the new crossing on second road goes all the way across, unlike 5 other crossings which go half way across the same road.

[Gaybutton]

At least the new crossing on second road goes all the way across, unlike 5 other crossings which go half way across the same road.

I haven't figured out the reasoning behind half a crosswalk. Maybe they ran out of paint . . .

"They said you might bomb the southern half of the bridges only. In my 50 years of military service I have never learned how to bomb half a bridge!"
- Gregory Peck (Gen. Douglas MacArthur), 'MacArthur'

[Dodger]

Do you guys remember back about 5-6 months ago a when a whole section of a newly constructed bridge in Bangkok tumbled off the bridge and landed on top of a truck. And just a few days later a train wheel fell from the overhead tracks and landed on a taxi drivers hood...

Or how about the new pavement on Pattaya Klang earlier this year - that one day after the work was completed (after screwing up traffic for weeks) the road completely collapsed leaving a huge crater. It was like something you'd see in a Steven Spielberg movie.

Only in Thailand!

[Gaybutton]

For me, the only surprise would be if those things didn't happen.

Most of the road construction and repairs I've seen, after a relatively short time, were under repair again - and then again - and often even more "agains".

I will say the major expressways all seem to have been properly built. They got those right. Why they can hardly ever get it right within the cities goes beyond me.

[Jun]

I haven't figured out the reasoning behind half a crosswalk. Maybe they ran out of paint . . .

They paint the crossing, then shortly afterwards resurface half the road. The authorities in Pattaya obviously lack the competence to keep a register of assets and send someone out to repaint the road.

There ARE roads and pavements in Pattaya that are in good condition and without constant resurfacing. These are typically at private sector sites, such as the major shopping centres.

[Gaybutton]

There ARE roads and pavements in Pattaya that are in good condition and without constant resurfacing. These are typically at private sector sites, such as the major shopping centres.

At least they have sense enough to hire the right people and spend what it takes to use quality materials.

My own soi is an example of that. A few years ago, just up the street, a hotel was built. The hotel paid to have my crumbling, pothole soi resurfaced with highway grade asphalt. There has been no need for repairs and the road is just as good now as it was the day the job was completed - and that is despite the fact that tour buses heading to and from the hotel and heavy delivery trucks are common on the soi.