Sarasin bridge ‘reopens to pedestrians’

People on holiday in Phuket will once again be able to cross over the Sarasin bridge.

People taking flights to Phuket may be pleased to hear that they can once again walk across the Sarasin bridge after repair works were completed.

The structure, which links Phuket to mainland Thailand, has been open since 1967 but years of use and saltwater erosion had left it unsafe, the Phuket Gazette reported.

However, following extensive repair works, the bridge is now open again, with chief of the Phuket Provincial Highways Office stating at all that is left to be done is the finishing touches.

“People are walking onto the bridge – and we’re not stopping them,” said the official.

If the bridge proves to be a popular visitor attraction, there are plans for toilets and a car park to be created close to the site.

Some of the first people to use the bridge may be those who are taking flights to Phuket to attend the forthcoming Vegetarian Festival, which commences on September 27th 2011.

Written by Ruth Norris