Thai Cabinet approves 6.6 billion baht for bridges in South Thailand

Two upcoming bridge projects in South Thailand have had a budget approved for them. Thailand’s transport minister announced yesterday that the Thai Cabinet has given the green light on the plans, which will cost about 6.6 billion baht.

One bridge will cross Songkhla Lake in the Koh Yai sub-district of Songkhla’s Krasaesin district, to the Jong Tanon sub-district in Phatthalung’s Khao Chaison district. This bridge will cost 4.8 billion baht.

The other bridge will connect the island of Koh Lanta to the Koh Lanta district on mainland Krabi. This bridge will cost 1.85 billion baht, Bangkok Post reported.

The bridge crossing Songkhla lake will be seven kilometres long. The bridge connecting Koh Lanta to Krabi will be 2.2 kilometres long.

The projects will take three years to build. Construction will start in 2023 and is scheduled to be completed in 2026.

Currently, people who wish to travel from Koh Lanta to Krabi must travel by ferry. It’s a fairly time-consuming process that often backs up traffic. The new bridge will replace some ferry services. Thailand’s transport minister says this will cut travel time from two hours to only a few minutes.

He added that in addition to helping locals travel, the new bridges could also help tourism.

Krabi in particular is one of Thailand’s major tourism hotspots. The province is known for its marine wildlife.