Pattaya’s new mayor warned contractors laying a new drainage system on Thepprasit Road that they must finish the job on time by May.
Poramet Ngampichet chaired a June 20 progress meeting on the 124-million-baht project that began in September last year and is badly behind schedule.
Once complete, the project will see new drainage pipes installed on both sides of Thepprasit Road over six kilometers, ending at Sukhumvit Road. New sidewalks will be built and power and utility lines will be buried under the center of the road.
While lead contractor Phrom Yotakran Rayong (1993) Co., initially promised to only dig up Thepprasit in 200-meter increments to minimize disruptions, those promises went out the window the further the project fell behind. Now much of the street is impassable, with drainage pipes jutting above the surface.
Poramet said currently Phrom Yotakran is laying a temporary asphalt equal to the height of the pipes so that vehicles can at least use some of the roadway.
The mayor said the contractor complained the project was delayed by labor shortages and issues with underground utilities. The company couldn’t proceed as it needed electricity and water utilities to assist them, which they haven’t.
Poramet will be called in on the carpet and made to solve its problems, minimize detours and disruptions to residents and businesses, and install lights to prevent traffic accidents.