Thai PM heading to Phuket to officially open the Chalong Underpass
PHOTO: Guy (Charlie) LIDUREAU
The Thai PM is heading to Phuket to officiate at the opening of the long-awaited Chalong Underpass next week, as well as attend some other meetings during the day.
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha will open the Chalong Underpass on Monday, July 8. Both lanes of the new underpass will be closed during the ceremony from 7-10am.
The construction of the underpass caused a major interruption to southerners living in Chalong and Rawai who had their major route to the middle and north of the island virtually cut-off with long delays as the construction process dragged on. Many businesses were forced to close and some residents moved because of the disruption caused by the construction.
The 360 metre long underpass ended up costing more than 540 million baht and took one month short of four years to construct. The southbound lane opened on May 31, the northbound lane on June 3.
The PM is then heading to Cape Panwa to the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command for meetings and to chair the disaster response meeting at the nearby Phuket Deep Sea Port. He’s scheduled to return to Bangkok on the night of July 8.
The Thaiger drove through the underpass shortly after it was opened to the public as they were still painting the murals on the walls inside the underpass.
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