Bangkok: The Governor of the Expressway Authority of Thailand (EXAT) has confirmed that the 'Chalong Rat Expressway Extension, Chatuchak-Lam Luk Ka Section' will not employ foreign contractors.
According to Thai News Agency, the Chalong Rat Expressway Extension Project is a 6-lane elevated road covering a distance of 16.21 kilometers. The project begins at the Chalong Rat Expressway, connecting at the Chatuchak Toll Booth on the Eastern Outer Ring Road of Bangkok, and extends eastward, intersecting Hathai Rat Road and Nimit Mai Road, before concluding at Lam Luk Ka Road at Km. 21. The project involves an investment exceeding 24 billion baht.
The Expressway Authority of Thailand had previously signed a contract with Italian-Thai Development Public Company Limited (ITD) for the project. The private sector is preparing to initiate construction, which is expected to start within June. The construction is planned to take approximately three years and will not involve foreign contractors.
The toll collection system, valued at about 1 billion baht, is anticipated to open for bidding within one to two years after the completion of civil works. The Expressway Authority of Thailand aims to expedite the private sector to launch services by 2027, ahead of the contract timeline, which initially specified a 2028 opening.
