A newly laid alternative road up Patong Hill, from Kathu to the top of Patong Hill, is now open to motorbikes and small vehicles. The 3 kilometre alternative, called the ‘Go Kart Road’ by locals has been hastily constructed after the October 15 collapse of part of the Patong Hill road due to torrential rain washing away some of the road’s foundations.
Although the newly laid road is reported to have cost 12 million baht, a Thai businessman donated his land across the back of Patong hills, north of the established road.
The Phuket Express reports that ‘Prab’ Keesin, from the Pisona Group, through the Patong Development Foundation, donated the land for the road and 2.6 million baht.
To take the new road, drivers heading from Kathu, have to make a U-turn at the PTT petrol station, travel back 200 metres, and then turn left into the small soi leading to the Phuket Kart Speedway, opposite Tiger Kingdom. Then the new road meanders up the back of the hill, steep in places, with a 2-lane concrete road.
When drivers on the new road reach the top of the hill, at the Chinese shrine, traffic has to then do a right hand turn against the traffic coming up Patong Hill out of Patong.
With the old road now carrying vehicular traffic, in both directions, since last week, the needs for an alternative route have lessened, although having a ‘back up’ road will always be on standby if there other interruptions to the main access route into Patong.
