3 roads to be funded by 2 trillion transport loan
The government has prioritised the construction of five inter-provincial motorways, which will cost 267 billion baht and span a combined length of 705 kilometres.
The construction of the motorways is expected to be completed by 2020.
The projects are among 13 motorways nationwide to be built under the Highway Department.
The 13 motorways will cover 4,150km and cost 472 billion baht. Two of these 13 motorways have already been completed. They are the 82km Bangkok-Chon Buri Road and the 64km Eastern Outer Ringroad.
Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning director-general Chula Sukmanop told Bangkok Post three of the five motorways will be financed by the two-billion-baht loan which the government is borrowing to overhaul the country’s transport infrastructure.
These three include the 196km Bang Pa-in-Saraburi-Nakhon Ratchasima Road, which will require investment of 84.6 billion baht.
This project’s environment impact assessment (EIA) was approved in 2006.
The Highway Department completed the project’s design in 2008 and early this year the cabinet approved a budget of 6.6 billion baht for land expropriation and compensation and 77.97 billion baht for construction.
The second project to be financed by the loan funds is the 98km Bang Yai-Kanchanaburi Road, which will cost 55.62 billion baht, including 5.2 billion baht for land expropriation and property compensation.
The EIA process and design of this project has been finished.
The third motorway is the 32km Pattaya-Map Ta Phut Road, costing 16 billion baht.
The investment includes 1.8 billion baht for land expropriation and property compensation. Its EIA is expected to be completed by this year.
Mr Chula said the three motorways will be completed in the next three years.
The two other prioritised motorways are the 118km Nakhon Pathom-Cha-am Road, with an investment budget of 44.1 billion baht, and the 206km Bang Pa-in-Nakhon Sawan Road, which will cost 37.3 billion baht.
These motorways are expected to be completed by 2020.
The EIA of the Nakhon Pathom-Cha-am project has been approved, while the EIA of the Bang Pa-in-Nakhon Sawan project is yet to be completed.
Source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/346514/2020-deadline-speeds-up-the-construction-of-5-motorways
