Sort out unending construction projects on Rama II, Srettha tells Transport Ministry
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has instructed the Transport Ministry to improve the condition of Rama II highway, so people travelling during the long Songkran holidays do not get caught in traffic bottlenecks.
Srettha highlighted his instructions in a comment on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday. He was responding to a post on the travel page, Paksabuy, which said that Hua Hin was unusually quiet these days because Bangkokians did not want to deal with the notorious traffic congestion on Rama II. The popular seaside town is about 200 kilometres south of Bangkok.
In his post, the premier said the Transport Ministry should strictly monitor and control large construction projects to ensure they are built well and fast. He said his government has been monitoring large construction projects, whose delays have affected motorists and tourists as well as businesses of shops along the roads.
“As for the delayed construction project on Rama II, which is a key reason why fewer people are going to Hua Hin, the Transport Ministry said it will rush to tackle the issue so motorists find it easier to travel before Songkran,” Srettha said in his X post.
“I’ll monitor the issue to ease the grievances of the people as soon as possible. I’ll also supervise procurement and mete out penalties against contractors who abandon their work.”
On Wednesday, Paksabuy posted a photo of an empty Hua Hin beach, saying the seaside town now has far fewer Thai tourists and suggested that the notorious Rama II congestion might be the reason.
The post was picked up and highlighted by some online websites over the weekend, leading to the perception that Hua Hin had become a ghost town during the long weekend.
However, on Sunday, many local residents posted on their community group, “If anything happens in Hua Hin, update it here”, that many tourists were still visiting Hua Hin and the post on Paksabuy was made by someone who did not visit the town.
Rama II is the main gateway linking Bangkok to the South and is infamous for what is often called by Thai motorists “seven generations of construction”. Worse yet, the area is known for accidents with debris falling on passing vehicles.
The latest reason for the congestion is the construction of an elevated expressway in the middle of Rama II, which is supposed to ease congestion.
