A ceremony was held to mark the opening and saw Minister of Transport Air Chief Marshall Prajin Juntong and Minister of Finace Sommai Phasee together with officials from various local government agencies in attendance.
Speaking at the opening Minister of Finance, Sommai Phasee said, “This is the first government project which two ministers have been invited to join at the same time.
“I've never seen such event in my life, and this is what can happen with coordination.
“Usually, the cabinet will be a colation of ministers from different political party, but in Prayuth's cabinet we are from the same party, we help each other.
“I think Phuket is a popular tourist destination, but we don't have adequate bays for aeroplanes. Those billionaires who come with their private jets and VIPs should have bays at the aiport to support them,” he said.
He also said that future transport projects will run smoothly as the Ministry of Finance will provide loans for the Ministry of Transport.
“I want to say that when government agencies work closely with each other, without being cut across, the benefit all goes to the people.
“We are not just supporting Phuket, many places in the country want money to build roads, and the government has a policy for road creation across the country.
“I want to tell the people of Phuket and relevant officers to take care of the underpass, leave it clean and nice, especially with regards to litter,” said Mr Sommai.
Minister of Transport ACM Prajin Juntong also spoke and said, “I would like to thank the Phuket governor and Minister Sommai for supporting this successful underpass project.”
Director General of Highway Department, Choosak Kewee said, “Phuket will have two more underpasses constructed which are at the Bang Ku junction and Chalong Circle.
“These projects will now be sped up as the Ministry of Transport will receive a stimulus package from the Ministry of Finance in June.
“Contracts for these projects should be signed soon, and within two years Phuket will have four underpasses.”
Minister Sommai added that the total budget allocated for the Highway Departments and Rural Highway Departments throughout the country is B40,000 million.