The section of road under repairs is the northbound lane is from near the U-turn near Thalang office of the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) to the main Makro store in Thalang.
At least 20 people have been injured in accidents on the busy stretch of road as the road surface is steeply uneven while the roadworks are being carried out, local residents told reports last night.
As the works continue, the locations where the road surface changes, and there are no warning signs, some of the local residents pointed out.
A staffer at Thalang Hospital confirmed to The Phuket News that many people had brought themselves to the hospital for treatment of minor injuries because of falls from motorbikes along the section of road.
Local residents pointed out that the busy road is one of Phuket’s main arteries, serving all motorists heading to Phuket International Airport and all traffic heading north from Phuket Town and the main tourist beaches, and those heading northbound off-island.
The local residents themselves have to use the road every day.
An officer from Phuket Highways office explained that a contractor was hired to resurface the road, with works starting last Tuesday (Nov 13), and scheduled to take about one month to complete.
Phuket Highways Chief Somwang Lohamut told The Phuket News today that the uneven surfaces are expected to continue for about one more week.
“After then, the road surface should not be so dangerous,” he said.
Mr Somwang admitted that the road surface could be dangerous, but noted, “Motorbike drivers tend to drive through the roadworks too fast.
“The road surface will be uneven while the road is being repaved, and the surface will be slippery after workers spray water to reduce the amount of dust created by traffic passing through the area.
“We asked the workers to spray water on the surface after local residents complained about the dust,” he explained.
Mr Somwang also pointed out, “We do have warning signs marking roadworks along the four kilometres that is being resurfaced.
“The road will be uneven for about another week while the resurfacing continues. In the meantime, I urge motorbike riders to slow down while riding through the area. I recommend that they do not drive faster than 40km/h,” he said.
Additional reporting by Tanyaluk Sakoot