Phuket prepares to build Kathu-Patong Expressway to solve traffic problems

        Phuket is one of the provinces with beautiful natural resources, making it a popular vacation spot for both Thai and foreign visitors, but the winding and steep mountain roads cause accidents.

        The government has authorized the Kathu-Patong Expressway Project in Phuket Province, which has a total length of 3.98 kilometers and is managed by the Expressway Authority of Thailand (EXAT). This is a joint investment between the public and private sectors. It is also Phuket’s first expressway project and Thailand’s first expressway with a tunnel that is accessible to motorcycle traffic.

        The investment model allows the private sector to invest, produce revenue, and allocate some returns to the government for a concession period of 35 years from the date on which the Expressway Authority of Thailand (EXAT) notifies the public that it will begin operations or invest in the form of PPP Net Cost.

        The Kathu-Patong Expressway Project seeks to improve the travel route between Phuket’s eastern city and Patong Beach for locals and tourists, reduce road accidents caused by steep and winding road conditions, and serve as an evacuation route in the event of a catastrophe (e.g., in the event of a tsunami).

        The nature and form of the project is an elevated road with a tunnel in the middle of the route and four traffic lanes each way. The project begins at Phra Metta Road in Patong Subdistrict, Kathu District, and ends in Kathu Subdistrict, Kathu District, with two entrances and exits and a toll gate situated in Kathu Subdistrict.

        Motorcycles pay 15 baht per vehicle; four-wheel vehicles pay 40 baht per vehicle; six to eight wheels pay 80 baht per vehicle; and vehicles with more than ten wheels pay 125 baht per vehicle.

        EXAT has opened the sale of documents for private selection (Request for Proposal: RFP), and seven Thai and foreign investors have expressed interest in buying documents. The private sector is scheduled to submit proposals in April 2023. The bidder will be announced at the end of the year, and construction will commence in 2024. The expressway will be finished and ready for use in 2027.

        When the construction is completed, it will be beneficial for the movement of people who live in the area, as well as Thai and foreign tourists who visit Phuket, and it will be a new development in the country’s transportation infrastructure in support of Phuket's development under the concept of “smart city” (Smart City).