The on-again, off-again construction of a 3 million baht wheelchair path near the Redemptorist Vocational School for Persons with Disabilities has hit another pothole as Pattaya City Hall tries to remove private structures encroaching on the public roadway.
Phuwiang Pothita, the city architect heading the effort to build the 15-centimeter-high path connecting the Redemptorist School with Big C Extra, said private homeowners and businesses have built out their property into Soi Paniadchang, blocking the slow-moving construction workers.
Thongrob Taomafuang and Atthaporn Pansena travel alongside the yet to be completed designated wheelchair path.
Since it was announced in October, the wheelchair route has been a repeated source of disappointment for disabled students and staff. Work finally began in late December, then stopped again, only to resume Feb. 25.
Samart Ngernmanmee, a local motorcycle-taxi driver, said no construction has been done on the path for about a month, causing traffic problems in the area due to roadworks left abandoned by work crews.
Despite appearances, Pothita denied that construction has stopped and said Nawaphol Construction Co. will complete the work by June 23. Paving the entire route is the next step.
Pothita said that city hall will fine the contractor each day the project goes past the completion date.
Redemptorist students Thongrob Taomafuang and Atthaporn Pansena said they live opposite the school and have to be very careful when crossing the street as cars normally go fast. The men also have to wheel in and out along the street because of the way people park their cars, obstructing the way.
