Pattaya officials promised it would be
This
construction work is supposed to be done by now.
Phasakorn Channgam
By the time you read this, the disastrously timed
resurfacing of Pratamnak Road in South Pattaya is supposed to be
finished, according to promises made by Pattaya city officials and the
construction company earlier this month.
The 15 million baht project, started as high season
got underway in late October, saw crews rip up South Road from Walking
Street to Second Road and continue along Pratamnak Road to the base of
the hill.
With tens of thousands of people set to descend on
the city for the annual Pattaya Countdown to New Year’s celebration,
city officials desperately swarmed around the slow-going reconstruction
site, urging workers to get the road open in time.
Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh toured the site Dec.
14, reminding the construction crew they’d promised to have the job done
by Dec. 23. Work, however, was behind schedule due to road workers
finding more power cables, water pipes and other infrastructure than
anticipated. A company foreman admitted the construction firm was
undermanned for the job.
Tourists, residents, drivers, business owners and
just about everyone else who must move through South Pattaya have
grumbled over the project, which has made commuting to Jomtien Beach a
nightmare for weeks. The city has taken a barrage of criticism over the
timing of the work, which was supposed to have commenced early this year
during low season. However, city bureaucrats delayed releasing funds for
the contract until October.
