Excavation of the tunnel halted on October 17, when the worksite flooded, explained Project Engineer Chalermpon Wongkietkun.
“The tunnel was scheduled for completion by October 31, but heavy rains have caused delays, especially the flooding on October 17,” said Mr Chalermpon.
“We had to suspend work for safety reasons, as we need firm earth underneath the backhoe to ensure it is stable.”
So far, tunnellers at the site have excavated just 50 metres of the 200m tunnel.
“Work resumed yesterday (Oct 26), but now the tunnelling deadline has been pushed back to November 20,” Mr Chalermpon assured.
“But the project will still make its revised deadline of February 10, 2016. We have security keeping an eye on the work teams and the Highways Department is keeping a close eye on the progress made to make sure we make the deadline,” he said.