Road Project Fined 3.5 Million Baht for Delays
A Highway 23 traffic safety project in Yasothon faces 3.5 million baht in penalties after missing its extended deadline, with work still only 90 percent complete despite two-week extension approval.
On July 30, Prakob Mangkung, director of the Yasothon Highways Office, led staff to inspect the traffic safety improvement project on Highway 23 in Lumpuk subdistrict, which carries a budget of 44.2 million baht and is overseen by the Yasothon Highway Department.
The project had previously received a warning from the highways office for delays but failed to meet its original 180-day contract deadline, which ended June 1. Department director Sophaporn Laongsorm explained that the contract was extended another two weeks to June 14, with the contractor citing Middle East conflict-related fuel shortages. The highways department confirmed it approved the extension following proper legal procedures.
Despite the extension, work remains at only 90 percent completion, with median construction, pavement widening, and lighting work still pending. As a result, the Yasothon Highway Department imposed daily penalties starting June 15 at 110,558 baht per day, accumulating to approximately 3.5 million baht. The Yasothon Highways Office warned that when projects face daily penalties in the hundreds of thousands of baht, contractors often rush work, risking engineering shortcuts or substandard materials.
To protect state interests, the highways office has instructed the department to enforce strict quality control. Inspection committees and supervisors must verify material thickness, density, and standards on the remaining 10 percent of work, with no compromise on substandard work.
