Cabinet ministers have given the green light to the upgrade of the Tak-Mae Sot highway into four lanes under a 1.39-billion-baht project aimed at expediting border-trade transport.
The construction is scheduled to take up to 840 days, Maj Sansern Kaewkamnerd, the Prime Minister’s Office spokesman, said today.
The project, the second phase of the Highway No. 12 upgrade, will be financed by the 2015 fiscal budget and debt obligations. Of the total cost, 280 million baht will come from the fiscal 2015 budget while 1.16 billion baht will be obligated debts from 2016-17, Thairath Online reported.
Of the 24.6km earmarked for the expansion, the first phase covers 12.5km and requires 706 million baht. The second phase covers 12.1km and requires 690.5 million baht.
“The Highways Department has opened electronics bids for the project, at prices lower than the median ones,” Maj Sansern said.
He added the department was bargaining for even lower prices in line with the prime minister’s directives.
The highway, the lifeline for the economy, trade and investments along the Thai-Myanmar border, facilitate Thai shipments to Myanmar.
It also supports the government’s plan to upgrade Mae Sot district into a special economic zone and the Asean Economic Community scheduled to begin late this year.
Source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/transport/577287/tak-mae-sot-highway-to-have-four-lanes
