The Department of Highways (DoH) has issued a clarification about guide posts found to be made of rubber instead of concrete along a highway in Nan, after a picture of the inner structure of one such post went viral last week.
A Facebook account named "Watchdog.ACT" was first to share the picture of damage to a guide post which revealed it was made of rubber-coated bamboo poles.
A check also found the DoH had entered a contract in 2018 for the procurement of 130,000 rubber poles, worth about 282 million baht.
In response, the department issued a clarification based on the statement given by its director-general Sarawut Songsivilai saying the department had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry on June 12, 2020 as part of government policy to use the material in guide posts to help to prop up rubber prices.
Mr Sarawut said the department had bought the rubber from farming cooperatives to use to replace damaged guide posts along a number of highways. These rubber poles were designed to adhere to safety standards after being reinforced with bamboo or eucalyptus wood, according to Mr Sarawut.
"The installation of the rubber poles was in line with engineering safety principles and the project also helped rubber farmers amid the downturn in prices.
"I insist the project was carried out with transparency according to the regulations," he said.