Pattaya –
Pattaya City is continuing to renovate and refurbish the Walking Street area, according to the Pattaya Mayor, targeting to attract more tourists of every age during both the day and night time. He also denied persistent rumors of “tearing down” the street.
The Pattaya City Mayor Sontaya Kunplome told TPN media this week, “A major part of our recent renovation of the Pattaya Walking Street in South Pattaya is in regards to the progress of removing overhead wires and cables and placing them underground. This construction work is now 80 percent completed. We ran into many problems in the past year while executing this project, many caused by old pipes and construction work beneath the street, not on any planning documents. However, we managed to persevere through this and made progress.”
“We also received budgetary permission from the Pattaya City Council for an overall footpath/road renovation for Walking Street. Unfortunately, in the process of moving cables underground, portions of the road were damaged and some areas are in poor condition. Our plan is to refurbish and repair the pavement along the entire road, including full painting and a new art design for the street to give the area a fresh, new look.” The mayor continued.
“We are also continuing work on the water drainage system into the sea and have partnered with businesses on the ocean side to improve their drainage as well as begun an extensive project on Second Road near Wat Chai and Walking Street that will expand drainage pipes and improve the overall waterworks in the area. Contrary to decades-old rumors, there are no plans whatsoever to “tear down” or demolish portions of Walking Street, we have spent a lot of money and infrastructure on these recent improvements to invest in the future of the area. We recently finished a difficult project connected to both drainage and cabling underneath the former police box at the front of the Beach Road side of Walking Street. This area has been repaired, filled, and replaced. We also very recently renovated and improved the main Walking Street signage. We apologize for the inconvenience in the area to traffic but we feel the long-term benefits of this project will outweigh short-term traffic issues.” The mayor explained.
“We are also planning to cover the Pattaya Walking Street with a retractable roof as we want to attract more tourists to the Walking street both during the day and night time, as well as provide cover during the rainy season. This project is currently in the process of final designs while the budget will be provided in the next fiscal year.” The mayor stated.
“The long-term vision of Walking Street is to provide a world-class tourism area with restaurants, cafes, shops, and yes, nightlife and entertainment, that co-exists with each other. With the Bali Hai Pier nearby and ongoing improvements for this area also being planned, we want this area to be lively during both the day AND the night as a destination for tourists returning (or going) to islands nearby at the pier. We continue to reassure Walking Street business owners that despite the difficulties of the past two years in regards to Covid-19, we remain committed to the area and its historic importance to Pattaya and there are no plans to destroy it. We strongly believe that as Covid-19 restrictions are eased around business sectors like tourism and nightlife that this area will recover.” The mayor concluded.
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