Transport Sino-Thai Signs Deal to Build Motorway Link to U-Tapao

[Georgealbert]

 

Pictures courtesy of Matichon.

 

Sino-Thai Engineering and Construction Public Company Limited (STECON) has officially signed a contract worth more than 2.65 billion baht to construct a new elevated motorway link to U-Tapao International Airport, with work expected to be completed within three years.

 

The announcement was made by Mr Apirat Chaiwongnoi, Director-General of the Department of Highways (DOH), who stated that the contract forms part of the government’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) infrastructure development programme. The new section of the motorway will connect Motorway Route 7 to U-Tapao, Thailand’s third key international airport, supporting both passenger traffic and cargo transport.

 

The project includes two contracts:

 

1. A consultancy agreement valued at 125.8 million baht with a joint venture comprising Epsilon Co., Ltd., Index International Group PCL, and Decade Consultants Co., Ltd., and

 

2. A construction contract awarded to STECON, valued at 2.65 billion baht.

 

Funding will come from the the national budget and a loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

 

The Cabinet approved the project on 14 June 2022, with the aim of constructing a new 4-lane elevated motorway and expanding parts of Highway 3 (Sukhumvit Road) in Rayong Province. Once completed, the new route will shorten travel distance from the existing motorway between Pattaya and Map Ta Phut to U-Tapao Airport from 5 kilometres to just 1.92 kilometres, vastly improving logistics and regional accessibility.

 

Key project features include:

 

• A new 1.92-kilometre elevated section starting at KM 148+328 on Motorway 7 to the junction with Highway 3.

 

• New underpasses, service roads and grade-separated interchanges at key intersections.

 

• Widening of Highway 3 between KM 186+350 and KM 192+000 from four to eight lanes, covering a stretch of 5.65 kilometres.

 

Mr Apirat confirmed that 100% of the required land has already been acquired and construction is scheduled to begin by September 2025. The completion date is set for 2028.

 

“This project is crucial to Thailand’s national infrastructure development,” Mr Apirat stated. “It will significantly enhance connectivity, strengthen logistics capabilities and support economic, social, and tourism growth in the long term.”

 

 

  Adapted by Asean Now from Matichon 2025-08-03

 

 

 

[JimHuaHin]

Is this company not a family company of a recent Thai Interior Minister and head of Thai political party?

[bkk6060]

With the current newer tollway I don't see a real need for this.

More like a 10 year RamaIV type plan.

[LennyW]

Looks like this will be to the entrance close to Sukhumvit / 332 junction, getting ready for the airport expansion, i guess. 

[topt]

6 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

With the current newer tollway I don't see a real need for this.

More like a 10 year RamaIV type plan.

It extends the current tollway and I was wondering when they were going to add it. You currently get pushed left to come off it but the extension to go straight is blocked off.

 

I don't disagree with your view. It guess it may knock 10/15 minutes off the journey, if that, depending on how it actually links up with the airport/Highway 3.

[KhunBENQ]

10 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

The new section of the motorway will connect Motorway Route 7 to U-Tapao, Thailand’s third key international airport, supporting both passenger traffic and cargo transport.

Absolutely key. Absolutely international.

 

Until noon: no flights

Afternoon:

one flight to Phuket

one flight to Chiang Mai

one flight to Irkutsk (international!)

one flight to Ko Samui

(feel free to add)

 

Motorway connection ASAP!

It must be a dream to have a full time job at this busy airport (like baggage handler, cleaner).

If this Sino-Thai deal goes as fast as the high speed train, then the airport might be busy until then.

[CanadaSam]

22 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

Absolutely key. Absolutely international.

 

Your reading of the current situation is accurate.

 

In fact, there is virtually no traffic to UTP from anywhere, no congestion at the moment.

 

But there has to be future plans in place, for things like the casino (which I bet will be placed in close proximity to the airport) etc.

 

People are getting rich, slowly but surely.

[PETERTHEEATER]

On 8/3/2025 at 1:38 AM, JimHuaHin said:

Is this company not a family company of a recent Thai Interior Minister and head of Thai political party?

Who could it be I ask myself? 🤔

[spidermike007]

I sure hope this is not the company that's building the Rama 2 highway, they have failed miserably, they're 15 years behind schedule and the mess that they've created over there is utterly deplorable. The executives of that company should be in prison. 

[hotchilli]

On 8/3/2025 at 4:48 AM, Georgealbert said:

Sino-Thai Engineering and Construction Public Company Limited (STECON) has officially signed a contract worth more than 2.65 billion baht to construct a new elevated motorway link to U-Tapao International Airport, with work expected to be completed within three years

All things Chinese... Thailands love affair

[khunjeff]

On 8/3/2025 at 4:48 AM, Georgealbert said:

U-Tapao, Thailand’s third key international airport

 

Their definition of "key" must be very different from mine...the following is from Deep Seek, and should be mostly correct in terms of scale:

 

Thailand’s International Airports – Annual International Passengers (Estimate)

 

1. **Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) – Bangkok**  

   - ~**40–50 million** international passengers (pre-pandemic levels were ~60 million, but recovery is ongoing).  

 

2. **Don Mueang International Airport (DMK) – Bangkok**  

   - ~**10–15 million** international passengers (mainly low-cost carriers).  

 

3. **Phuket International Airport (HKT)**  

   - ~**8–12 million** international passengers (one of the busiest for tourism).  

 

4. **Chiang Mai International Airport (CNX)**  

   - ~**3–5 million** international passengers.  

 

5. **Samui International Airport (USM) – Koh Samui**  

   - ~**1.5–2.5 million** international passengers (mostly charter and regional flights).  

 

6. **Krabi International Airport (KBV)**  

   - ~**1.5–2.5 million** international passengers.  

 

7. **Hat Yai International Airport (HDY)**  

   - ~**1–1.5 million** international passengers (serving Southern Thailand and Malaysia traffic).  

 

8. **U-Tapao International Airport (UTP) – Pattaya/Rayong**  

   - ~**1–2 million** international passengers (growing due to overflow from Bangkok).  

[josephbloggs]

21 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

All things Chinese... Thailands love affair

Er right, except this has precisely nothing to do with China whatsoever. 

[steve187]

On 8/3/2025 at 2:04 PM, topt said:

It extends the current tollway and I was wondering when they were going to add it. You currently get pushed left to come off it but the extension to go straight is blocked off.

 

I don't disagree with your view. It guess it may knock 10/15 minutes off the journey, if that, depending on how it actually links up with the airport/Highway 3.

i don't think this new link road will use the unused flyover, which should lead to mataphut, just ends in the middle of nowhere next to the railway tracks behind the  Toyota garage on sukhumvit road

[topt]

17 minutes ago, steve187 said:

i don't think this new link road will use the unused flyover, which should lead to mataphut, just ends in the middle of nowhere next to the railway tracks behind the  Toyota garage on sukhumvit road

Thanks. So completely new road joining the 7 then.

[steve187]

38 minutes ago, topt said:

Thanks. So completely new road joining the 7 then.

i saw this proposal  a few years back, fom memory a new junction cuts of the exsisting 7 somewhere near to the toll booth, then heads across the army/navy land raise up in the air, which accounts for the price, it then crosses sukhumvit road near to 332 road and into the front of the airport

 

here is a link from 2022 -  https://thepattayanews.com/2021/11/04/2-kilometer-long-road-connecting-motorways-to-u-tapao-airport-planned-to-reduce-traffic-starting-in-2022/

[KhunBENQ]

2 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

I sure hope this is not the company that's building the Rama 2 highway, they have failed miserably, they're 15 years behind schedule and the mess that they've created over there is utterly deplorable. The executives of that company should be in prison. 

Or the ones responsible for motorway 6 (Korat to Bang Pa-In/M9). Most of the concrete path ready since more than 10 years.

[Unamerican]

All aboard of Irkutsk!! Wow! 

[Unamerican]

A whole 2km of it! Super wow!! ??? 

[Unamerican]

1 hour ago, khunjeff said:

growing due to overflow from Bangkok

Like everything around Pattaya area!! 

[henryford1958]

But still no decent rail link Pattaya to Bangkok or Don Meung. Who actually uses U-tapao?

[SAFETY FIRST]

12 minutes ago, henryford1958 said:

Who actually uses U-tapao?

Russians