New outer ring expressway route planned for capital
The Expressway Authority of Thailand (EXAT) will build a new expressway project, the Daokanong-Western Outer Ring route, costing more than Bt20 billion, following the Transport Ministry's decision to abandon the Third-Stage Expressway System - North Secti
Governor Aiyanat Tinapai said EXAT would revise its construction plans for the expressway system to ensure that traffic problems are properly resolved and to serve particular needs of expressway users.
“The next expressway project we’ll work on is construction of the 8.8-kilometre long Daokanong-Western Outer Ring route,” he said.
He said the new expressway route would be connected to the expressway network to cater more effectively for transport between the inner and outer parts of Bangkok. It will ease traffic problems from Rama II Road to the Western Outer Ring Road.
“The Expressway Project, Daokanong-Western Outer Ring route, is almost ready for EXAT. The project’s feasibility study will be completed by the end of this year and if [it is accepted and the investment sound], we’ll be ready to go ahead with it,” said Aiyanat.
He said EXAT also has a plan to build other expressway routes, including the Burapha Withee-Laemchabang-Pattaya of 57km, costing between Bt60 billion and Bt70 billion; Chalongrat-Baan Na-Saraburi, 67km long and costing between Bt60 billion and Bt70 billion; and Udon Ratthaya-Bang Pa-In route, 30 km and costing Bt40 billion.
Aiyanat said that EXAT expects to complete Bt5.8 billion in projects this year, up about Bt1 billion from last year when the authority posted Bt4.8 billion in profit.
The surge in profitability is in line with an increasing number of vehicles using the expressways as well as higher revenue contribution earned from Chalerm Maha Nakhon and Sri Rach expressways. Sixty per cent of their revenue is owned by EXAT, and another 40 per cent by Bangkok Expressway (BECL). This is adjusted from 50/50 of previous revenue sharing contributions.
However, after increasing the toll fee, by Bt5 to Bt10, for Chalerm Maha Nakhon and Sri Rach expressways to be effective on September 1 -- as well as for the Udon Ratthaya on November 1 -- vehicle volume on the expressways is expected to drop by 15 per cent on average, within the first three months (from September to November). About 1.7 million and 1.8 million vehicles use the expressways each day. This number is projected to increase to between 1.8 million and 1.9 million a day next year.
EXAT has currently 670,000 vehicles using its “Easy Pass” automatic toll payment. The number of vehicles using this service is expected to increase to 700,000 by the end of this year.
