But when the ministers and officials had left, cones still blocked the entrances at both ends, and tents erected for the ceremony still stood in the tunnel at lunchtime today.
The Director of the Highways Department in Phuket, Samak Lueduanghad, explained that the delay in motorists being able to drive through was because all systems – ventilation, lighting, CCTV and flood pumps, for example – are still being checked.
When this is completed, the underpass will finally be opened to traffic “on Thursday or Friday” (April 9 or 10).
The project has taken two years and five months to complete. It was originally scheduled to be completed by the beginning of last year but was delayed by problems such as rain.