“The project, which is officially named the ‘Chao Fah Mine Bridge’, finally opened officially yesterday and is a part of the Rural Highway 4051,” project manager Pirapong Pongpradit of Ratchintin Co Ltd told The Phuket News this morning (Dec 27).
“The 175-metre project includes the road, which connects Chao Fa West Rd to Muang Chaofah Rd. It is simply a shortcut to Muang Chaofah Rd,” he said.
The road runs behind the King Power duty-free “mega-store” on Chao Fa West Rd. (See map below.)
“This project has no special relation to King Power, it is just a shortcut to and from the main road,” Mr Pirapong explained.
“This road connects the east-west road system of the island and reduces the traffic density on Highway 4024,” he added,
The project faced several delays, most recently due to the relocation of a 22m-high electricity post away from the new road. (See story here.)
The contract was extended once already by 32 days back in March as the contractor was ordered to halt work during New Year and Songkran holidays over the past three years.
The bridge, under the responsibility of the Department of Rural Roads, spans 80m over a lake, connecting with 175m of the newly paved road.
The bridge features four lanes of concrete road over two spans, each 8.8m wide. (See story here.)