Highways Office assures Sarasin Bridge will stay
Phuket Highways Office Chief Yutthana Phitak has confirmed that there are plans afoot to build a new bridge connecting Phuket to the mainland, but has assured that the famed Sarasin Bridge will not be demolished.
The assurance came at a meeting held on May 13 to allay fears that the future of Phuket’s iconic bridge would not be in jeopardy.
Built in 1951 under a budget of B28.77 million and officially opened on July 7, 1967, the Sarasin Bridge with its span of 660 metres was the first bridge linking Phuket and Phang Nga.
The bridge has found its way into the fabric of Phuket folklore with the tragic story of bus driver Ko Dam Sae Tan and local teacher Kiw Kanchana Sae Ngo. The starcrossed lovers, forbidden to be together by social mores at the time, took their lives together in a leap from the bridge in 1978.
For reasons unexplained, attending the meeting were Wongsakorn Chanakit and Wiwat Jindaphon. Both are former Phuket MP candidates for the Bhumjaithai Party who have failed to gain a seat in elections.
The Move Forward Party easily won all three Phuket MP seats in the election last year.
Of note, however, Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who also serves as the Minister of Interior, is the leader of the Bhumjaithai Party, which holds a strong minority role in the Pheu Thai-led coalition that is ruling the country.
Deputy Prime Minister Anutin was in Phuket only earlier this month.
Phuket Highways Chief Yutthana said that many people had taken to social media to express their concerns about the future of the Sarasin Bridge.
The concerns followed a visit to the island by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin last month. Official reports confirmed that PM Srettha was presented with plans to build a new bridge joining Phuket with the mainland ‒ but no details of the plans were revealed to the public.
No details of the plans were revealed to the public.
Mr Yutthana said that some social media posts had claimed that the Sarasin Bridge was to be demolished to allow a greater clearance for large yachts and other vessels to pass safely underneath.
“The Highways Department has no intention of demolishing Sarasin Bridge now or in the future in order to carry out a transportation network project,” Mr Yutthana said.
“There must be a detailed study of that project. Including conducting a public hearing to listen to opinions from people in the area. and study environmental impacts before the budget proposal can be implemented,” he added, according to an official report of the meeting.
“The Highways Department does have a project to build a ‘new Sarasin Bridge’ to facilitate travel between Phuket and Phang Nga, but it is still in the concept stage and we have requested a budget to study the design details of the project,” Mr Yutthana said.