Sri Soonthorn Mayor Chalermphon Kerdsap said the decision followed strong local opposition after the project was announced late last year.
“Residents were worried that digging a huge tunnel in an already flood-prone area would only make things worse,” Mr Chalermphon said. “Closing lanes for construction would have caused massive gridlock on Route 402 [Thepkrasattri Rd].”
The project, meant to ease congestion at the busy ‘Tha Ruea Intersection’, as officials prefer to call it, where Thepkrasattri Rd meets Route 4027, is now “indefinitely postponed”, he said.
However, Mr Chalermphon noted it could return if the centre Department of Highways and Ministry of Transport decide to revise the design or policy direction.
The original plan called for a 2km three-lane underpass under the Victory Monument, with landscaped surroundings, a pedestrian walkway and even a small hall beneath the Heroines Monument for historical displays and worship.
Preparatory work had already begun, including the moving of utility and power poles and road widening, before the Department of Highways officially canceled the tender.
The project was expected to take three years to complete, finishing by 2027.
Despite the cancellation, Mr Chalermphon said Phuket’s traffic problems remain unresolved. The Tha Ruea Intersection is a key link between the airport, Phuket Town and the island’s southern beaches - and now more importantly to the now heavily congested areas of Bang Tao and Cherng Talay.
“The underpass aimed to improve safety and traffic flow,” he said. “But for now, we have to rethink the plan and wait for central government guidelines.”
For now, the Phuket Highway Office will continue managing traffic using the existing road system, while the future of the underpass ‒ and any long-term solution to the congestion ‒ remains uncertain.