Engineers Present Proposals for Improving Sukhumvit Road Traffic

Mr. Jara Sarejei, of the Feasibility Research Division of the Integrated Engineering Consultants Company, stated that an in-depth study narrowed down possible solutions to: the construction of bridges and underpasses on the four sections of Sukhumvit Road.

Mr. Sarejei continued, “The land level for North Pattaya is very low. So, if we were to build a tunnel, we would need to construct a very good water pipe system to handle the rain water which flows down. Not only that; but a tunnel in North Pattaya would interfere with the current motorway construction. Therefore, the only possible solution would be to build a 600-meter bridge. As for Pattaya Klang, with its high land level, it is best suited for an underpass. For South Pattaya and Thepprasit Road, a tunnel would be dangerous because the land level is very low in these areas and a large amount of water flows down to these areas every time it rains. Thus, the best solution would be to construct an underpass that is about 625 meters for South Pattaya and an 850 meter bridge for Thepprasit Road.”

Mr. Sittipap Muangkum, Inspector of Pattaya said, “The proposals were discussed and tunnels were eliminated because they require a lot of maintenance, especially when it’s raining. As for North Pattaya, further study still needs to be done to see whether it’s feasible to connect the bridge to the motorway. In addition, if we build a combination bridge and underpass, people might become confused when driving. So, a final decision still needs to be made. South Pattaya’s intersection would be best connected with the Thepprasit Road intersection with a bridge. A scale model will be built in order to get the opinion of locals before any construction is done.”