City Hall is now taking
bids to choose a contractor that will begin the eight-month, in excess
of 400 million baht process of rebuilding Pattaya Beach’s eroding
shoreline. The massive restoration project was deemed necessary after
environmental experts predicted erosion would wipe out Pattaya Beach
within five years if nothing was done.
Jetsada Homklin
Bidding is underway to choose a contractor that will begin the
eight-month process of rebuilding Pattaya Beach’s eroding shoreline.
At city hall’s monthly press conference June 13, city council members
Athiwit Wattanasartsathorn and Banjong Banthoonprayuk said Pattaya has
transferred 400 million baht to the Marine Department to begin the
sand-refill project starting from the Dusit Curve.
Once a contractor is selected and begins work, the project is expected
to take six to eight months.
The beach-refill project is already behind schedule. In April, Marine
Department director Raewat Potriang said the project was supposed to
begin in May.
The first work to be done will be adding sand to the beach between the
Dusit Curve and Central Road. The second phase runs to South Road while
the third phase restores shoreline down to Bali Hai Pier. The total
project cost is estimated at 468 million baht.
Emergency work was performed on the Dusit Curve last year, adding sand
to 193 meters of severely eroded beachfront while officials lobbied for
funding for a more-permanent solution. The massive restoration project
was deemed necessary after environmental experts predicted erosion would
wipe out Pattaya Beach within five years if nothing was done.
Councilman Rattanachai Sutidechanai said additional work has since been
done to lay sandbags in hard-hit areas, most recently opposite Central
Festival Pattaya Beach.
