Phuket’s first underpass officially open to traffic

PHUKET: The island’s first underpass, dubbed ‘Darasamuth Underpass’, officially opens to traffic today, after two years in the making.

The grand opening event has drawn high-ranking officials, both local and national, to the site of the 600-million-baht underpass. In attendance were both Minister of Transport Air Chief Marshal Prajin Juntong and Minister of Finance Sommai Pasri, as well as Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong.

“As this part of the island is a busy residential and business area, it draws quite a lot of motorists and traffic. Having this underpass will greatly relieve the pressure on the roads,” said ACM Prajin.

“Phuket motorists will now have a much more convenient drive through this area.”

The underpass, located near Central Festival Phuket, is well equipped with drainage pipes, ventilation ducts, electric traffic signs, an emergency electric power supply and safety equipment, including telephones, CCTV and fire-fighting equipment, ACM Prajin added.

“I hope the people of Phuket will be happy with the new underpass and will no longer waste unnecessary time on the road during rush hours,” he said.

“We will work on more projects in the future to further improve traffic flow on the island.”

— Woranut Pechdee