Agency instructed to conduct study on integration of master motorway plans
THE MINISTRY of Transport has instructed the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTP) to conduct a study on how to integrate the motorway development master plan of the Department of Highways (DOH) and the expressway master plan of the Expressway Authority of Thailand (Exat) to prevent possible redundant route development and ensure their route connection.
Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, transport minister, said the expressway agency will focus mainly on the investment aiming to solve traffic jam in the city, while the Highways Department will focus on building roads outside the city.
The overlapping investment that needs to be reconsidered involves routes in Nakhon Nayok province and Bangkok-Pattaya.
The integration plan will be forwarded to the ministry and National Economic and Social Development Board for consideration and will be legally reviewed before submitting for consideration by the Cabinet, Arkhom said.
Chartchai Tipsunave, transport permanent-secretary, said that OTP will also need to study a proper means of investment for the planned routes of DOH and Exat master plans to prevent investment redundancy and ensure route connection. The government encourages public-private partnership scheme for these plans.
Earlier, the DOH presented 21 targeted routes in its 20-year motorway development master plan worth Bt2 trillion and Exat has presented 13 routes in its master plan.
Thanin Somboon, DOH director-general, said that several of its planned routes have overlapped with those in Exat master plan. These routes include Motorway Route No 7: Bangkok-Chonburi and the Buraphavithi-Pattaya Expressway project.
“We will not postpone our motorway network projects of Laem Chabang-Prachinburi and Nakhon Ratchasima-Khon Kaen. If these projects passed the EIA (environmental impact assessment), we will go ahead with the investment. Exat may face a problem in its Buraphavithi-Pattaya Expressway project which is in the process of an EIA study,” Thanin said.
In response to complaints on traffic congestion on Motorway Route No 7, Chonburi-Pattaya, which is in service in the closed system from January 5, the DOH is studying a legal issue and finding solution on whether or not to allow cars to enter the motorway after Nong Kham checkpoint.
The solution is expected to be finalised after the government’s visit to the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) in February. It will then be forwarded to the transport minister for consideration.
