The long-awaited tunnel crossing Pattanakarn intersection -- though not fully completed -- was finally opened to motorists on Dec 25, three weeks behind schedule. City Hall may view this as a Christmas and New Year's gift for commuters, but there are other factors in play to consider.
The lengthy construction of the Pattanakarn-Ramkhamhaeng-Taworntawat tunnel in Suan Luang district cost 7 million baht and caused a great deal of inconvenience as parts of the road surface were closed for over two years.
The criticism started when Suharit Siamwalla, a candidate for Bangkok governor in 2013, shared a photo on social media of the unfinished tunnel.
It showed how construction materials had been left untidily above the tunnel, causing fears they could fall onto vehicles using the tunnel.
Mr Suharit also complained that commuters suffered a great deal due to all the traffic congestion, intensified by the construction. The public was eventually handed an unsafe piece of infrastructure nearly a month late.
He also sarcastically questioned whether he should thank City Hall for keeping to its word by opening the incomplete tunnel on Dec 25, instead of prolonging the pain for commuters while compromising public safety.
Motorists were growing tired of the construction delays. Some branded the tunnel umong roi pi (The tunnel that takes 100 years to complete). They had to suffer heavy congestion and poor road conditions due to all the traffic.
Two days after Mr Suharit's complaints, Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang responded that the tunnel had to be open for 18 hours a day, from 5am to 11pm, despite the fact that it was not finished, to ease traffic in the area.
However, it will remain closed to traffic at night so the contractor can resume work. It will be fully opened by May, more than five months after deadline.
In his statement, he made it clear that city commuters had two choices: between an ongoing traffic catastrophe if the tunnel opening was further delayed, or using the unfinished infrastructure.
In the event of the latter, the governor failed to mention that he was concerned some of the construction materials could topple onto vehicles below.
However, as such a turn of events could potentially end in a nightmare scenario of collisions, injuries and even fatalities, it seems like a strange choice to say the least.
What we can glean from Pol Gen Aswin's statement is that safety is not exactly a top priority for him or the contractor. Commuters basically have to use the tunnel at their own risk if they want to avoid heavy traffic.
It is worth referencing at this point an accident at the site in February when a nine-metre metal sheet fell from a crane and hit a passing car, injuring the driver and damaging his vehicle.
A quick look at various infrastructure in the city hammers home the point: Safety does not appear to be an ingrained part of our culture.
Another website that focuses on Bangkok infrastructure shared a collection of photos on Jan 2 featuring ongoing repairs of subterranean sewage pipes near Chong Nonsi BTS station. In some of the photographs, an excavator is seen at work, digging the pavement, without any proper fence to keep pedestrians from falling into holes. Nor is a safe walking path provided.
City footpaths, which are often under repair in Bangkok, are no better either. For some reason, the pavements are constantly in need of being fixed. Rarely do you see any proper fencing and potholes are common. We just have to learn to live with it.
Everyone seems to be familiar with the messy wires carelessly hung onto pedestrian bridges or pavements. If you don't like them, the city seems to be saying, that is your problem.
But let's take a look at the new tunnel from another perspective: Maybe the governor is trying to make it a new attraction.
A friend of mine who lives in the area celebrated the New Year holiday by driving through the "100 years tunnel".
With the building materials kept above the tunnel awaiting further construction at night, my friend described the tunnel as an "experimental art installation".
The walls have a loft-like concrete surface; in other words, they are unfinished. Moreover, the tunnel is decorated with bas-reliefs she doubts will ever be fixed permanently in place.
So this is modern architecture in Bangkok. Maybe City Hall is experimenting with artistic flourishes in line with the spirit of the Bangkok Art Biennale, but I doubt it.
Sirinya Wattanasukchai is a columnist, Bangkok Post.
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