Molly’s fatal road in Phuket fixed

PHUKET: Officials have fixed the rural road that claimed the life of 7-year-old Molly Anne Bailey after the truck she was travelling in plunged into a massive sinkhole.

The sinkhole did not have any lights or obvious signs warning drivers of the hole. There was only a dark green plastic net with a sign that read “Road Cut Off”.

The repair of Rural Road 4008, off Thepkrasattri Road, was fast-tracked following the tragic accident (story here).

“We actually received the budget to fix the road the day before the accident. However, the next step was to find a contractor, which could have taken a month or so. Then, it could have been at least three months before they finished,” Srisoonthorn Mayor Worawut Songyot told the Phuket Gazette.

However, after Governor Nisit Jansomwong marked the project urgent, it took only four days following the fatal accident for a contractor to be signed, and only about one month for the road to be fixed.

The project was completed on January 6 and announced as “ready to use” last Thursday.

“We try our best to fix problems as quickly as possible, but government bureaucracy slows everything down,” Mr Worawut said.

“Also, if you see warning signs, be aware that even if there is not construction at the moment, there will be some soon. Please do not remove signs.”

— Khumpee Prasertphol