The Government of Thailand has approved plans to develop the Kathu-Patong expressway public-private partnership (PPP) project in Phuket, Thailand.

The project involves the construction of the 3.98 km Kathu-Patong expressway in Phuket, Thailand, which will connect the Phra Mettha Road in Patong and Tambon Kathu. The expressway will have four traffic lanes in each direction and will include a 1.85 km tunnel. The expressway is planned to be used by about 35,000 motorcycles and 36,000 vehicles with four or more wheels per day. The new road should reduce congestion on Highway 4029, minimize accidents and increase the number of tourists and support the province as an emergency evacuation when a disaster, for example, a tsunami happens.

The toll road will cost about THB14.6 billion (US$435 million), out of which THB5.79 billion (US$172 million) has been allocated to cover the cost of acquiring land and the remainder will cover construction costs. The Expressway Authority of Thailand (EXAT) will be accepting applications from private partners between May and June 2022. The selected bidder is to begin construction in 2023 and open the route to traffic by July 2027.