Critics fear ocean highway marks Thailand's road to ruin

A proposal to build the world's longest sea bridge and an elevated road, creating a bypass to the south of Thailand, looks set to become the next environmental flashpoint in the land of smiles.

Dubbed the 'Highway Across the Sea', the project has been condemned by green groups, fishermen and the Engineering Institute of Thailand, but the government is adamant that it will proceed. The 127km elevated road, including a 47km sea bridge, will run from Samut Sakhon province, south of Bangkok, to the existing Phetkasem road to Cha-am province, via Phetchaburi province's Ban Laem district - cutting the trip by 38km.

But green groups and marine biologists say it may create an environmental catastrophe. Huge pylons will have to be sunk into the waters of the gulf, which many believe will stir up vast amounts of sediment, causing grave damage to the beleaguered marine ecology.

In September, the government approved a 420 million baht ($80.26 million) budget to fund the road's design, which is being done by Chulalongkorn University's faculty of engineering. It is expected construction of the road and bridge will cost more than 70 billion baht.

Kasetsart University's leading marine scientist, Dr Thorn Thamrongnawasawat, said that construction of the bridge and road would damage vital mangrove forest at the mouth of the Mae Klong River, and he wanted the project to be put on hold until the environmental impact had been properly assessed.

A source within the Office of Environmental Policy and Planning has also expressed doubts about the project, saying an environmental impact study carried out for the Transport Department - by experts from several universities - had been rushed through. 'At least two years should be spent to properly ascertain the potential impact of sinking the pylons and other construction work,' the source said. 'Instead, they only spent eight months. This could be an ecological disaster in the making.'

The Engineering Institute of Thailand's president, associate professor Tortrakul Yomnak, last week launched the latest salvo against the bridge, describing the project as 'unfeasible' and the environmental impact study as 'weak'.