Phuket’s Kathu-Patong tunnel project to be expedited
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has instructed related agencies to expedite the Kathu-Patong tunnel project.
Srettha said this project used to cost around 8 billion baht to build during the Yingluck administration but the cost would nearly double that now.
The 1.85-kilometer tunnel is part of the Kathu-Patong Expressway Project, which stretches 3.98 kilometers and is expected to cost around 14.67 billion baht to construct.
The project is currently being managed by the Expressway Authority of Thailand (EXAT).
Initially, the project was open to private sector participation, but no private company showed interest.
Therefore, the current government has decided to invest in the civil works portion of the project.
The former mayor of Patong, Pian Keesin, proposed the idea for the tunnel in 2000, and the Yingluck government was exploring the possibility of building the expressway.
However, little progress was made until the current government’s plan to revive it. Photo via the Public Relations Department
Source: Seen on Thai Enquirer twitter
