Phuket Provincial Highway Office is to survey a route for building a new road parallel to the main Thepkrasattri Road, with a view to creating an alternative route for people coming from Phuket International Airport to Kathu and to add capacity to Phuket?s roads. Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura told Phuket Post that the new road will run from Phuket International Airport and end in an area between British Curriculum International School and Loch Palm Golf Course. After the survey, a budget for a feasibility study on building the new road will be proposed.

?I have proposed the idea to Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak that the existing Thepkrasattri Road is like Ladphrao in Bangkok. The worst traffic jams occur there because it is the only direct travel option,? he said. ?Thepkrasattri will soon be in a similar situation, so we need to prepare alternative routes.? Commenting on the monorail?s feasibility, he explained that the study on the monorail was necessary so that all options could be fully considered but the reality was that it would be overcomplicated and difficult to create. ?The monorail would be very difficult, so we have to think of another option to solve the traffic problem.

?Chiang Mai is also a big province but they do not need a monorail, so why does Phuket? It is something that we would like to have but at the moment it is not necessary or feasible,? he said. ?There is still no clear idea how much a ticket would cost. We are not convinced it would be a practical solution for reducing traffic substantially in Phuket. ?It is good to study this issue but we also have to look into the realities involved. What would the economic return for this project be? Who would be the investor? How will they benefit? Will the number of tourists be able to sustain it economically?? the governor concluded.