The Transport Ministry wants EXAT to work with the Department of Rural Roads to study and design the 15-billion-baht expressway.
EXAT said it is preparing the terms of reference (TOR) for the project and expects to kick off the study later this year or early next year. The agency reckons it may take two years to complete the study as the expressway will be going through the Mu Ko Chang National Park.
The authority will then submit the study as well as an environmental impact assessment (EIA) to the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning for consideration, EXAT said. The project will subsequently be proposed to the Transport Ministry and the Cabinet by 2027.
Once approved, the project should be up for bidding by 2028 and it may be a public-private partnership, EXAT said. In line with this, construction of the expressway should begin by 2029, and it should be up and running by 2033, it added.
EXAT said the expressway will make it easier for people to get to the island, as it is only accessible by ferries and travellers need to wait two to three hours to board one.
It added that Trat’s committee for public hearings had conducted a survey among residents and found that 95.19% were all for the project. Only 4.81% said it was a waste of money and would hurt the environment.