Ombudsman Mr Boon Tapanadul, Secretary-general Raksagecha Chaechai and members of their team were led to the construction area by Phuket Highways Office Director Samak Lueduanghad.
Mr Tapanadul said, “The reason for our visit today is because we have received many complaints from local residents that the underpass project in Sam Kong is taking too long and the completion being pushed back on numerous occasions.
“We were told that the project started in 2013 and was scheduled to be complete last June, but as of today the tunnel does not even see daylight.”
Mr Tapanadul went on to say that he could see that construction work is still going on and that some areas of the road still have potholes.
“Road conditions are a major concern for travellers here because they can cause accidents, traffic congestion and damage the tourism image,” he said.
“Phuket is a tourism destination so problems like this must be solved quickly. Every department involved must point out problems or issues they are facing that may contribute to delays and find ways to resolve those issues.
“The contractor has been given extensions five times due to the volume of traffic during holiday or weekends. We want every department involved, including the construction company, to fix this problem for the people by focusing on the project, taking care of the road surface and letting people know on the construction progress from time to time,” he said.
Mr Chaechai added, “The construction company admits to being responsible for the delays building the underpass and insist that they will carry on with the construction and are willing to pay hefty fines. The company spokesman said that construction is expected to be finished in May 2016,” he said.
He continued, “The Office of Ombudsman Thailand has ordered the Highway Department to follow the project closely and also keep up-to-date on the fines the construction company has to pay.
“If the company decides to give up on the project, the Highways Department will have to finished the work. Hopefully by June people will be able to travel on the road without stress due to the construction.”