Minister pushes for final link in U-Tapao Airport motorway

[webfact]

Minister pushes for final link in U-Tapao Airport motorway

By The Nation

 

Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob

 

Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob has given the Highways Department until the end of this year to design the 3.5-kilometre stretch to link the Pattaya-Map Ta Phut motorway extension to U-Tapao Airport in Rayong province.

 

The department must also prepare for land reclamation and construction of the project next year, he added.

 

The airport is targeting 60 million passengers per year after its pending upgrade to serve the Eastern Economic Corridor.

 

The motorway link project will reportedly cost around Bt40 million for the study plus Bt4.2 billion for construction.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/business/30400790

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2021-01-07

 

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[JoePai]

Do not understand as the new link from 7 to the 331 is fast and easy plus the 331 junctions of the 332 and 3 are now being improved with  new overpasses so what more is needed?

[NCC1701A]

whatever they do the last 500 meters you will be forced to get on a motorbike taxi. 

[Mr Meeseeks]

That airport will never see 60 million passengers in a single calendar year.

[Leaver]

13 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

whatever they do the last 500 meters you will be forced to get on a motorbike taxi. 

 

Yes, with the motorbike taxi costing 200 baht, and a taxi costing costing 600 baht, which may make it more cost effective to fly into a completely different airport.  ???? 

[shdmn]

Anyone know what is going on with the high speed rail link?  They already started construction of the NE link going to Nakhon Ratchasima but nothing going on with the one linking the 3 airports going through Pattaya.  Sounds like they are still trying to secure right of way and that could go on for a long time.   They say they have 80% of it secured but all it takes is one homeowner fighting it in the courts to stop everything.

Edited January 7, 2021 by shdmn

[mikebell]

10 hours ago, shdmn said:

all it takes is one homeowner fighting it in the courts to stop everything.

80% of the land has been secured by politicians in the know.  The one homeowner who comes between them and their pay-off will be dealt with outside of court.

[Kerryd]

20 hours ago, webfact said:

The airport is targeting 60 million passengers per year after its pending upgrade to serve the Eastern Economic Corridor.

????????????

I think someone added a zero in there. I think they mean 6 million (at best).

Suvarnabhumi's expansion (scheduled to be completed by 2024) is meant to increase it's annual capacity to 65 million passengers/year and that expansion includes adding a 3rd runway, expanding the passenger terminal by 135 meters (it's already the 4th largest in the world), expanding the parking facilities and adding another airport office building.

(Note: "passengers" not "tourists". "Passengers" includes everyone on all arriving/departing domestic and international flights regardless if they are Thai or tourist.)

I seriously doubt U-Tapao is going to be anywhere close to Suvarnabhumi in size so "60 million" is a bit far fetched.

However, I recall a couple years ago when they were doing some road projects (highways 331 and 36) they said it was in part because they wanted to shift upwards of 10% of the air traffic at Suvarnabhumi to U-Tapao. 10% would be around 6 million passengers per year. 

Lots of highway work already going on in that area as well. They are doing an (overpass ?) at the highway 3/331 intersection right close to U-Tapao as well as another overpass at the 331/332 intersection. Plus all the usual improvements ongoing on the 331 and 36 highways.
The overpass work in Amata city seems to finally be done (love the huge drop between the new road and the old road at the south end of the overpass and how they couldn't be bothered with sorting that out - or even marking it with a warning - before letting traffic start going through).
It looks like they are going to start working on the stretch of 331 between Amata City and the highway 3240 intersection next. I suspect they will be putting in an overpass to bypass that intersection soon.

Looking at the map, I can't figure out how they'd connect highway 7 to the airport, especially not in "3.5 kms". Unless they made a direct straight line from the closest point on the highway directly to the gate on highway 3.

As it is barely 4 kms from the off ramp of the new highway to those same gates, one might think it would be quicker (and cheaper) to simply improve that section of existing road rather than build new (elevated) on/off ramps and (elevated) highway.

(Less profitable for some as well I suppose.)
 

[LennyW]

2 hours ago, Kerryd said:

????????????

I think someone added a zero in there. I think they mean 6 million (at best).

Suvarnabhumi's expansion (scheduled to be completed by 2024) is meant to increase it's annual capacity to 65 million passengers/year and that expansion includes adding a 3rd runway, expanding the passenger terminal by 135 meters (it's already the 4th largest in the world), expanding the parking facilities and adding another airport office building.

(Note: "passengers" not "tourists". "Passengers" includes everyone on all arriving/departing domestic and international flights regardless if they are Thai or tourist.)

I seriously doubt U-Tapao is going to be anywhere close to Suvarnabhumi in size so "60 million" is a bit far fetched.

However, I recall a couple years ago when they were doing some road projects (highways 331 and 36) they said it was in part because they wanted to shift upwards of 10% of the air traffic at Suvarnabhumi to U-Tapao. 10% would be around 6 million passengers per year. 

Lots of highway work already going on in that area as well. They are doing an (overpass ?) at the highway 3/331 intersection right close to U-Tapao as well as another overpass at the 331/332 intersection. Plus all the usual improvements ongoing on the 331 and 36 highways.
The overpass work in Amata city seems to finally be done (love the huge drop between the new road and the old road at the south end of the overpass and how they couldn't be bothered with sorting that out - or even marking it with a warning - before letting traffic start going through).
It looks like they are going to start working on the stretch of 331 between Amata City and the highway 3240 intersection next. I suspect they will be putting in an overpass to bypass that intersection soon.

Looking at the map, I can't figure out how they'd connect highway 7 to the airport, especially not in "3.5 kms". Unless they made a direct straight line from the closest point on the highway directly to the gate on highway 3.

As it is barely 4 kms from the off ramp of the new highway to those same gates, one might think it would be quicker (and cheaper) to simply improve that section of existing road rather than build new (elevated) on/off ramps and (elevated) highway.

(Less profitable for some as well I suppose.)
 

The new main access to the airport will be where the 332 meets the Sukhumvit, close to where the current maintenance access is, this is where the new main terminal is being built. The end of the 7 at Ban Chang already has the road, now it just needs to reach that spot.

 

[Mr Meeseeks]

12 hours ago, Kerryd said:

I think someone added a zero in there. I think they mean 6 million (at best).

Nope, they are planning on 60 million capacity eventually. Been to Utapao airport and had the whole pitch from the Navy. One of the companies I partially own is tendering for some work on the project.

[liddelljohn]

We live near there and the land is either alrady owned by the Army, Airforce etc or local politicians ,for years   but over las 2 years lot of Chines business interested have invested in land around that area as far North as Charnok Village  and up towards the 36 highway,, my lass owns sorkor 3 farmland land in those areas and it has  more than doubled in value over last year  fron 200,00 per rai to 450,000 and the thai  buyers ar proxy for Chinese buyers , non Sorkor Sam land is also up from 1m baht a rai  more than 2m   again Prxy Thai Chines company agents

 

[jacko45k]

6 hours ago, liddelljohn said:

We live near there and the land is either alrady.............

That is worrying, Chinese owning everything. Didn't do Sihanookville any favours in Cambodia. 

[tinca tinca]

On 1/7/2021 at 8:02 PM, Mr Meeseeks said:

That airport will never see 60 million passengers in a single calendar year.

more PIE in THE SKY figures........