Phuket MP Somchart Techathavorncharoen, MP for Phuket District 1, revealed the news through a post online earlier this week.
The post showed Mr Somchart’s formal request addressed to the Phuket branch of the Department of Rural Roads, supporting the island residents’ call for the Department of Rural Roads to at least evaluate the need, and economic impact, of having the bridge built.
The letter was addressed directly to Mongkol Duchanee, Director of Mukdahan Rural Highways District Office, but is also currently serving as Acting Director of Phuket Rural Roads District Office.
Mr Somchart noted that he had received multiple complaints from residents on Koh Maphrao (Coconut Island) about the difficulty they have travelling to and from Phuket, even though Koh Maphrao at its nearest point is less than 500 metres from Phuket.
“Laem Hin cannot be accessed by boats during low tide, and local residents have to waste time waiting for the boat to be full of passengers,” he wrote.
“Local residents want to build a bridge from Phuket to Koh Maphrao for ease of movement and development as a tourist attraction. We ask that the Ministry of Transport set a budget to study this bridge project in time for allocation of the budget during the fiscal year 2024,” he added.
Mr Mongkol replied directly, confirming that the Department of Rural Roads will consider the project.
A map provided by Somchart showed that such a bridge connecting Phuket with Koh Maphrao would be 848m long.
“It has been determined that the project is beneficial to Phuket Province and the people on Koh Maphrao, but because the project is large, it will use a large budget for construction,” Mr Mongkol wrote.
“Therefore, the matter was submitted to the Rural Roads Office No. 14 (Krabi) to please consider the said project,” he confirmed.
When the prospect of building a bridge to Koh Maphrao was raised in 2017, the key concerns were the environmental impact the bridge would have on mangroves in the area, and the impact the accessibility for construction companies to move in would have on the nature of the whole island.