The development of Chon Buri's 20,000-seat football stadium has progressed by 44.09% since it began 17 years ago, says Poramet Ngampichet, the mayor of Pattaya.
He said the authority is aware of people's concerns regarding delays and how the construction site looks like it has been "abandoned".
The stadium is located on a 371-rai site in Bang Lamung district. It began with an investment budget of 774 million baht in 2008, and was originally scheduled to be completed in 2017. However, the project has since faced numerous setbacks, especially the construction area, which is on large rocky ground that is difficult to drill.
Pattaya City signed a contract to hire military engineers to complete the drilling project with a budget of 398 million baht. Later, another contractor was hired to resume work, but the contractor struggled with a shortage of workers due to the Covid-19 pandemic, causing further delays.
Mr Poramet said the contractor abandoned the work after disbursing the budget for 12 instalments, totalling 143.2 million baht.
Pattaya City seized the 50 million baht deposit the company provided when it signed the contract, but the company still owed the authority more than 80 million baht. Pattaya City then filed a lawsuit, he said. As for progress on the stadium, the mayor said work resumed on Sept 27, 2023, when Pattaya City engaged a new company with a budget of 377 million baht. The contract specifies the construction period must fall within 820 days.
"Work has now been completed for 476 days, with a progress rate of 44.09%, which is 4.72% faster than scheduled," Mr Poramet said.
Pattaya is concerned the next rainy season, which begins in the middle of May, may disrupt work and cause additional delays. As a result, the contractor has been directed to speed up to compensate for any stoppages.
"So far, there have been no accidents that have disrupted or caused problems, so everything has gone smoothly," he added. The stadium's construction is due to be completed by Dec 25. Additional funds are being provided to create seats and improve the landscape. The procurement plan is to be finalised within the year, Mr Poramet said.
