Potential Flooding Fix Causes Sukhumvit Road Chaos

Published : May 08, 2010 :: 14:05:20 [ 2,347 views ]

A massive multi-million baht drain is currently under construction along Pattaya’s Sukhumvit Road. Local administrators believe that the drain will significantly improve the inherent flooding that affects the area during times of inclement weather and prevent further, potentially fatal, road collapses.

Pattaya, the 7^th of May 2010 [PDN]: The Bt36 million project is currently under construction on Sukhumvit Road in the South bound lane starting in Central Pattaya. The new development, devised by the Pattaya Engineering Department, is believed to be the solution for the significant flooding that afflicts the area in times of inclement weather.

Local administrators were forced into action after several significant road collapses occurred along this stretch of the Sukhumvit Road, in the space of a few months. Officials from the Pattaya Engineering Department investigated the incidents advising local administrators that insufficient drainage along this area of the road was the main reason behind the collapses.

Significant flooding in the area was put down to the build-up of rain water from various adjoining Soi’s to the Sukhumvit road, which inturn caused excess water to run down from the higher ground, largely pooling at the Central Pattaya intersection. The large 4m wide and 646m long drain that is being constructed along the Sukhumvit Road is believed to be the solution to deal with the increased rain water runoff during times of inclement weather, particularly during the rain season.

At a cost of Bt36 million the project will deduce the south bound section of Sukhumvit Road by one lane whilst constructions are carried out. Contractors have been given a stringent 3 month time schedule which will see the project completed by the 16^th of July 2010, reducing the effect that the construction has on the heavily trafficked highway. It has been revealed that severe fines will be imposed on the contractors should the development exceed the deadlines laid down in the contract. Due to the strict time schedule for the project, contractors have been given permission to continue working around the clock on the development to further avoid incidents of heavy traffic congestion in the area.

In addition to having to deal with the heavy traffic flow on the major highway, which contractors and local traffic police are working closely together to monitor and control, they also have to deal with the underground telephone wire network which runs under the roads surface. Although ground plans for the network have been acquired from the Pattaya Telephone Organisation, certain sections of the project have been subjected to a complete ban on heavy machinery due to the inherent dangers and potential impact any accidents could have on the area.

Note: Although the introduction of this new drain into the infrastructure along Sukhumvit Road is obviously going to be of some benefit, it remains to be seen how it will effect the flooding along the adjoining Soi’s including Soi Khaotalo. All of these adjoining Soi’s experience extreme flooding during the rain season generally before any effect is even seen along Sukhumvit Road. Although this new drain will aid in preventing flooding at the intersection and on certain other areas of the Sukhumvit Road, it will not help residents of the adjoining Soi’s where water will continue to build up before it runs off into the new drainage system.

Comments

LookMoo

said :

I love their way to put the sewer on the highest point, in the middle of the road. It must be hard to get the water to uphill to the sewer entry ????

Email : hakanhansson@hotmail.com Date : 2010-05-09 02:37:58

Bob

said :

Of course it is not the flooding that causes injuries and deaths, it's the brain dead morons who try to drive through it at 100 kph plus. Many people here are too stupid to slow down for anything.

Email : Bob@haha.com Date : 2010-05-08 18:48:22

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