Bangkok in line for N1 Expressway tunnel

EXAT, the Expressway Authority of Thailand, is considering replacing a section of the N1 Expressway with a 6.7km-long tunnel, the country’s first such structure.

According to a report in the Bangkok Post newspaper, Surachet Laophulsuk, head of EXAT, told attendees at a second hearing on the project that a 17-month feasibility study has been completed. Bidding could start in 2026 and construction of the tunnel, which would run between 40m and 44m deep, could start as early as 2027 for opening in 2030.

Laophulsuk also said an environmental impact assessment would be completed in May and then be submitted to the government for approval.

A report in The Nation newspaper noted that the 6.7km double-deck tunnel, which will be the country’s first expressway tunnel, would bypass the heavily congested Kaset-Nawamin intersection in Bangkok’s Bueng Kum district. Traffic volume is estimated at 70,000 vehicles per day.