Around 500 people came along to welcome the PM as Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansuppana explained that the environmental impact assessment for the project had been approved but that the green light had yet to come from the Ministry of Transport.
The Mayor added that local people had been waiting for the project to get underway for something like 10 years, and she hoped that it would get the go-ahead under the current government.
The bridge, which is expected to cost B200 million, will start from Rattanoksin 200 Pi Rd in Saphan Hin and link to Sakdidet Rd. The plan calls for the bridge to carry two lanes in each direction, three metres above the ground. The expected construction period would be 480 days.
PM Yingluck said that so long as the project meets all the required regulations it will be discussed and considered.
Later, the Prime Minister opened a One Tambon One Project (Otop) Fair in Saphan Hin, cheered by local people, many dressed in red.