PHUKET VIDEO REPORT: Infamous Black Hole of Patong may not be fixed for weeks

PHUKET: After two motorbikes plunged into a giant pothole in the back streets of Patong early yesterday morning, Phuket authorities say they will not be able to start fixing the road until at least next week.

A video posted on YouTube shows a foreigner having to dive into the huge puddle – measuring at

least two meters deep, several meters across and about 10 meters long – in order to recover two motorbikes that lay submerged on the bottom of the massive hole in Phang Muang Sai Kor Road (map here).

“Thank you for reporting it to us. I had not heard of this particular problem before,” Teeraporn Jirarattanakorn, Director of the Department of Rural Roads Phuket office, which is responsible for construction of the road, told the Phuket Gazette.

“I will assign my officers to put more signs and more lights around the hazard tonight, so people can see the hole and avoid it. Hopefully, this will not happen again,” he added.

However, Mr Teeraporn explained that officers from Bangkok will have to come to Phuket to examine the hole before any repairs can be made.

“As the road is being built by a private contractor, we cannot undertake any repairs by ourselves. The Director-General of the Department of Rural Roads, Chatchai Thipsunaree, will have to assign officers from our head office in Bangkok to inspect the hole so repairs can be made.

“The next inspection of the ongoing project is not until June 25, and so we have to wait until then before the officers from Bangkok can order the private contractor to repair this giant hole,” said Mr Teeraporn.

“Thank you for telling us about this. If anyone comes across any other seriously damaged roads that we may be responsible for, please report them to us by calling 076-273021, Monday to Friday, between 8:30am and 4:30pm,” he added.

— Saran Mitrarat