Thailand Revives Riviera Coastal Road Plan

Thailand’s Transport Ministry is reviving the long-delayed Thailand Riviera coastal road project, with funding for the remaining sections included in the draft Budget Expenditure Act for the 2027 fiscal year. The tourism-focused infrastructure scheme, first approved in 2006, is intended to improve travel along the Gulf of Thailand coast, although only its first phase has been completed after more than 15 years of construction.

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The ministry plans to commission an 18 million baht consultancy contract to carry out a feasibility study and prepare a conceptual design for the Chumphon-Surat Thani-Nakhon Si Thammarat-Songkhla section. A further 21 million baht has been proposed for the survey and detailed design of the Sichon-Tha Sala section in Nakhon Si Thammarat.

The Southern Coastal Road Project, widely known as the Thailand Riviera, was launched during the administration of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra after the Cabinet approved the tourism development project for the upper southern coast on 7 February 2006. At the time, the scheme covered Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon and Ranong with a total budget of 32.54 billion baht, following a proposal by then deputy prime minister Suwat Liptapanlop.

The Department of Rural Roads carried out construction and improvement works between fiscal years 2009 and 2025. However, only Phase 1, a 515-kilometre route linking Samut Sakhon, Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan and Chumphon, has been completed.

The full Thailand Riviera project is planned to extend for 950 kilometres across the Gulf coast, linking Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Samut Songkhram, Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Ranong, Chumphon, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Songkhla, Pattani and Narathiwat. The remaining phases include a 150-kilometre stretch from Chumphon to Songkhla, a 200-kilometre section from Songkhla to Narathiwat, and an 85-kilometre route connecting Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon and Samut Songkhram.

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The Nation reported that if approved under the 2027 budget, the new studies and design work will mark the next stage in advancing the remaining phases of the coastal road. The government also continues to pursue a separate Thailand Riviera route along the Andaman coast, covering Ranong, Phang Nga, Phuket, Krabi, Trang and Satun over 600 kilometres, with that project currently undergoing a preliminary feasibility study.

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Adapted by ASEAN Now Nation 3 July 2026

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