Going Underground
BEGINNING OF THE END FOR UGLY OVERHEAD CABLES IN HUA HIN?
A small but significant step was taken last week by the Hua Hin City Municipality when plans were further outlined to relocate all the overhead cables running along Damnoen Kasem Road to be placed underground; for those unfamiliar with the street names, this is the road that stretches from the old, historic railway station to the beach, and is for many tourists, their first and most frequent view of Hua Hin. This sort of project has been undertaken or is being planned in many areas of Bangkok (see featured image above of an MEA project on the appropriately named Wireless Road) as the safety, maintenance and aesthetics of the cable chaos that is common in Thailand are finally being addressed (and should be applauded).
The Hua Hin City Municipality is joined by the Provincial Electricity Authority to plan and carry out the project, which is part of a wider infrastructure improvement plan across Hua Hin, parts of which have already been completed. Full details of the project, including the planned start date, how long it is estimated to take, construction schedule, and traffic management plans have not yet been announced, but it is likely to cause significant disruption, particularly at the major junction with Phetkasem Road. It is also not known if any thought has been given to the host of wildlife that uses the cables (and sometimes meet a shocking end and cause power disruptions). The birds that gather every dusk next to the Tessabahn (Municipality offices) have become an impromptu tourist attraction, as illustrated by the video below, which also highlights the need for the project.
The obvious benefit and the stated intent of the work to install underground cables is to improve the appearance of the city centre, reduce visual clutter, and support Hua Hin’s role as a major tourism destination. The hope for residents is that this will eventually be rolled out across the city, even to parts that tourists don’t visit, although consideration should be given to ensure that sufficient measures are taken to both protect the underground cables from water (particularly in areas prone to flooding), and that the conduits are easily accessible for speedy and efficient maintenance, and are not buried beneath anything that would require being dug up on a regular basis.
