forcebwithu

Apparently 24 min and 3 sec

In case you missed it, reported by Pattaya One News. Most interesting in the article was the report the underpass extractor fans weren't working. Another fine example of Thai workmanship at its best. Police repeat restrictions for Pattaya underpass On Tuesday August 29th, the head of Pattaya police held a press conference to highlight the restrictions to using the new underpass, which only recently opened. He said that the restrictions were in place for the safety of the people using the underpass, and that heavy fines would be made should the rules be broken. At the moment, restricted vehicles include motorbikes, tuk tuks, bicycles, and vehicles carrying dangerous goods. The restrictions are, in fact, there for a good reason too. So far, the extractor fans inside the tunnel, which are there to get rid of all the emission gasses from the high volume of vehicles using the tunnel are not working. Gas levels were recently tested and results came back confirming that gas levels were well above what would be classed as “safe to breath”. Work has started already trying to fix the problem, in fact, at around 9pm on Tuesday night, the inside lane heading towards Bangkok was blocked off, and work crews were busy operating on the fans. Engineers hope that the problem will be fixed in the very near future, but until then, police have urged people to stick to the rules for their own safety, as well as avoiding any fines that will be thrown their way. An announcement is expected in the next couple of days regarding the progress of the work.

They're actually being smart about the digging. Only doing small sections at a time to minimize the traffic disruption. Once one section is completed they back fill and cover and then move on to the next.

Thought it would be interesting to compare the old Klang intersection to the new. No doubt it looks quite a bit better. Was it worth the estimated 1 billion baht cost...

The photo record wouldn't be complete w/o a pic of the opened underpass. Taken this morning... My first photo of the construction was on 11 Jan, 2015. Since then 2 years, 7 months and 14 days have elapsed to yesterday's opening. Even with the missed opening dates, the original reports called for three years of construction. So by that measure I'd have to give them credit for finishing within that period. For those interested, here's a link to a photo album of the construction from start to finish.

Cable burying is happening on Klang. They started about a week ago, but suspended operations yesterday as I imagine the VIP motorcade wouldn't like it if they had to wait for lowly construction workers. This is a pic of the area they're currently digging up.

The long awaited underpass opening is happening today. According to the E-sign the opening is at 22:00. The previously covered sign is now uncovered. BIB making sure no one turns left on to Klang as it is now VIP parking. Small party at the underpass control booth. More BIB directing traffic at the Klang intersection. Looks like the big dig for burying the electric is suspended for the day. Klang intersection almost open for business. U-turn from southbound to northbound is open. View to the south Southbound Klang intersection is a clusterfuck though. Five lanes reduces to two for through traffic, and as drivers don't pay attention to road markings those in the right turn only lane are surprised to find their lane ends at the traffic light island. Making matters worse are the buses I see frequently stopped just past the lights to take on and let off passengers. So at those times the five lanes become one. I imagine we'll see some "tweaking" of this intersection as the Thai engineers, through trial and error finally get it right. And the view to the north And speaking of VIP's. These pics were taking right around 15:00. According to the announcements, the ceremony was supposed to start at 15:00, but VIP's around the world exist to prove their importance by making everyone wait for them. So not much happening at the moment. This looked like the "green" room for the party's entertainment. There are VIP's and then there are the really important VIP's. Suspect they'll be a motorcade bringing the big wigs to fill the front row seats, but I decided my time was more important than their's to wait around.

So it's elephant joke time... How do you tell if an elephant has been making love in your backyard? If all your trashcan liners are missing.

Used to enjoy having a cold one and watching the world go by from the Sutus Court bar, called Cup-Fa. Good, friendly staff, but unfortunately management for the past couple of months can't seem to figure out how to properly stock their bar. Most times they're out of my drink of choice, SangSom. Of late they have also been running out of Leo. Shame really as the seating area is a bit higher than the other bars on Soi Bhuakhao, so less road noise and a better breeze flows through the bar area.

Don't doubt there are some dodgy sellers out there, but the dodgy ones can be avoided by sticking to sellers with a high rating over a period time longer than a year. Also, if the price sounds too good to be true... Coincidentally, just replaced my Samsung S6 with a OnePlus 3T that I bought on Lazada last week. Working great unlike the S6 that was freezing up on me with increasing frequency. Looked around locally for a case, but everyplace said "no hab". Placed an order on Lazada on Monday for a case, arrived on Tuesday. As Idefix pointed out in his post, I look for sellers in Thailand, so delivery times have always been fairly quick.

Interesting. So it would appear not all purchases abroad incur an import duty. I'm now regularly using Lazada for most purchases. Every purchase and shipment, except one has come through w/o a hitch. In the one instance there was a problem, I think the reseller lost the order, an email to Lazada customer service resolved the problem within a few hours.

Think you'll need a pdf reader on your mobile to be able to open and read the downloaded file. I did a quick read and found it interesting and well written.

Pattaya One News Don’t hold your breath, but the Pattaya underpass is due to open on August 25th So after weeks, no, make that months of delays reagrading the Pattaya underpass, an official opening date has finally been set for August 25th. The news came after a press conference which was held and it was announced that after over 3 years and 840 million baht, the project will finally be handed over. I have lost count of the times that a date has been set for completion, however, so it remains to be seen whether the authorities will stick to this one. They did mention that they still have a few small issues to fix, such as getting a team of “experts” in to maintain and look after the underpass. The local authority have decided that the builders will do that in the meantime before a more permanent solution is found. Spokesman Phinit Maneerat with the chief engineer Sunthorn Sompramai at his side said that the Department of Rural Roads had given the green light to Pattaya mayor Anan Charoenchasri. It is though that the tunnel will be a huge component in helping ease the congested Sukhumvit road, especially in peak hour times of the day.

We have a hasher that joins us on some of our hash runs which are in the jungle and fields outside of Pattaya. This particular hasher lost a leg years ago in a climbing accident, but still gets out and joins us on the trails. And as is customary with the hash, you're given a nickname once we get to know you. In this case many suggestions were shouted out, but the one that stuck was International House Of Pancakes or IHOP for short. All had a good laugh over the nickname, including the recipient.

I was traveling northbound late this morning and was surprised to see traffic turning from the southbound lanes on to Klang. It was only when I got up to the intersection that I saw they were using the northbound u-turn to sneak across to Klang. Actually it wasn't really "sneaking", it was more like barging their way across northbound traffic to Klang. About an hour later on my way back on the southbound side saw a cop standing at the intersection putting a stop to the illegal use of the u-turn lane. Another thing I've noticed, drivers on the southbound lanes are not paying attention to the lane markings and are fighting their way back into the southbound thru lanes when they come to the right turn traffic island at the top of the right turn only lanes. This is really slowing down southbound traffic at the intersection as drivers are stopping to let the idiots merge in.

I think it was early last week they got smart and turned off the lights and blocked the turn onto Klang from Suk. Hard to believe and understand why they haven't opened the underpass yet.

MS lost me a couple of versions ago when they revamped the UI. Just couldn't be arsed to learn the new UI so kept with the old version through various OS and hardware upgrades. Their new licensing scheme just reinforces my decision to stick with the old and true. Having MS on my laptop is more for convenience now to handle the occasional Word and Excel files I receive. Otherwise I use Google Docs exclusively. If you're into coding, you can also do some pretty interesting things with Docs/Sheets using Google Apps Script.

Nope. Another report had them trying for an August opening. Hope they open the underpass soon as they've really fucked up traffic since they turned on the traffic lights at the Klang intersection. On weekend afternoons traffic is really backed up both ways waiting for a green light.

It appears they now know the source of the "rogue water". Major Sukhumvit roadwork ahead near tunnel The Department of Rural Roads will take about two weeks to dig up Sukhumvit Road and stop ground water from bubbling to the surface. A section of Sukhumvit near the entrance to the Redemptorist Vocational School has subsided due to underground water washing away the foundation of the busy thoroughfare. Locals complain the area is always wet, even when it hasn’t rained for days. Somchai Panpao, architect and advisor to Central Road bypass tunnel project, said the water leakage is natural and was not caused by tunnel work nor broken pipes. Pattaya is not far above sea level and ground water is bubbling to the surface. He said the leak has not affected the tunnel in any way. Rural Roads Department workers said the job would be a big one, as they need to not only identify where the water was coming from, but devise a way to plug the leak. That, and resurfacing the road, would take about two weeks, they estimated. Meanwhile, pipes have been installed to shuttle away excess water from the area.

I'll second Idefix's suggestion of using Google Docs. You'll need a Google account to use. If you don't already have one, here's the link to create one.

New problems for the underpass. Another fine example of quality Thai engineering and workmanship. Pattaya Tunnel being repaired for water problems before it has even opened The Department of Rural Road have been digging up the exit from Pattaya’s much vaunted tunnel after they noticed water damage to the road surface. I’m sure this will come as a complete shock to, well, absolutely no one, as the final completion date looks set to get pushed back even further. The tunnel – supposed to finally open next month – has not had a single car pass through but is already being repaired. The authorities are blaming the latest setback on some, and I quote, “rogue underground water”. It will all mean a delay of at least another week as the side leading to Chonburi is repaired. The 800 million baht tunnel has been constructed over many years. Last month it was reported that it would finally open in August. Siam Chon news said yesterday that repairs would take a week though they were unsure what that meant for the opening date.

Noticed early last night on the way to the DS the Klang intersection traffic lights were on and the intersection open to cars with all the barricades removed. SCC intersection is still closed, but the U-Turn at the intersection is open. It also didn't take long for the new intersection to have its first accident. Coming back around 01:30 police had southbound lanes blocked while they cleaned up the aftermath of an accident between a couple of cars. From the looks of things one of the drivers didn't notice the traffic lights were on and ran a red light with predictable results. View to the south and the newly opened Klang intersection. Until they open the underpass for thru traffic, the Klang intersection for southbound traffic is a choke point. There's five lanes approaching the intersection, but three are reserved for u-turn and right turning traffic onto Klang. And there's no sneaking through the left most right turn lane as a traffic light island effectively blocks that lane from thru traffic View to the north. And a final shot of dolphins leaping for joy the underpass might finally open soon.

Latest news on the underpass construction. LOL quote from the article, "The tunnel is 470 meters wide and 1.9 kilometers long". Someone still hasn't figured out how to use a tape measure, or exercise a bit of critical thinking. http://pattayaone.ne...testing-stages/ Pattaya Underpass is in the “final testing” stages By Online Admin - June 11, 2017 Final testing is underway on the 837-million-baht Central Road underpass, but when it will open remains anyone’s guess. Somchai Panpao, an architect on the Sukhumvit Road project, said June 2 that construction is complete, but security, lighting and drainage systems are still being tested. Deputy Mayor Bandit Khunajak said May 30 that the decision on when the tunnel will open is up to the contractors and the Department of Rural Roads. Once they are certain all systems are working perfectly, they will give the green light. The tunnel is 470 meters wide and 1.9 kilometers long and is Thailand’s longest underpass. Fully packed with technology, closed-circuit cameras are installed throughout to prevent crime, and to provide aid during emergencies. There are two smart CCTV cameras that will send an emergency signal if they detect any collisions. Security staff will be on standby around the clock. Somchai added a “jet fan” to power the ventilation system, which also remains under testing. They also are doing final checks on fire sensors and smoke detectors. The tunnel has six stations where high-pressure water hoses are available in case of fire. The tunnel is lit with more than 1,000 lamps up to 400 watts bright. The walls also have been soundproofed. Answering the most common question – will the tunnel flood like everywhere else in Pattaya – Somchai said the entrances to the tunnel are in the shape of an “overturned pan” so that water doesn’t flow down. In case of extreme floods, pumps have been installed to catch any overflow.

From the OP's post "each devours 49 baht a day on internet activity". Since it's a consistent amount I don't believe it's an app running, but instead a data plan that was part of the SIM package he originally bought. He'll need to cancel the data plan to eliminate the charge.

You can also call your service provider help line and have them cancel the data plan leaving with you with voice and text only.