Bangkok:- The Transport Ministry will ask the Cabinet this month to approve two new motorway projects to be built with the budgets of Bt84 billion and Bt55 billion, Permanent Secretary for Transport Ministry Sroythip Traisut said Friday.

She said the two projects are the Bang Pa-in- Nakhon Ratchasima motorway with the total length to 196 kilometers and the Bang Yai- Ban Pong- Kanchanaburi with the total length of 96 kms.

The permanent secretary said the Highway Department has submitted details of the two projects to the Transport Ministry for consideration and Transport Minister Prajin Juntong is expected to submit the two projects to the Cabinet for approval later this month.

Sroythip said the Transport Ministry will obtain loans for the constructions of the two motorways.

The ministry has yet to consider whether to divide the motorways into sections and hire various contractors to speed up the constructions or whether to allow a contract to bid for each project entirely.

The Bang Pa-in-Nakhon Ratchasima motorway will be built with budget of Bt84.6 billion. About Bt6 billion of the budget will be spent for land expropriation.

The Bang Yai-Ban Pong-Kanchanaburi motorway will be built with a budget of Bt55.62 billion and Bt5 billion will be used for land expropriation.

Highway Director General Chusak Kewee said last month that the Highway Department will receive tenders for the construction of the Pattaya-Map Ta Phut motorway this month.

He said the department will spend some Bt14 billion from the Motorway Fund for the construction of the 32-kilometer-long motorway. The fund is being built up with proceeds from motorway tolls.

Just imagine nice it would be if all of the money actually went towards the roadwork and not into someone's personal account.

Were is the map for these projects ?

They've been talking about these projects for years. Back in 2003 Thaksin promised a motorway/expressway network all over Thailand, including the Bang Pa-in to Nakorn Ratchasima (Korat) project. Finally it may be approved, 12 years later. Wow...so much for progress, but it's badly needed. Let's hope they start construction soon so we can all experience a decent road and greatly improved travel times. The current roads going to Kan and Korat are a mess. Heavy traffic all the time, local and long-distance traffic mixing, a very lethal combination. Thailand urgently needs a dedicated motorway system to separate local from long-distance traffic.

Were is the map for these projects ?

Don't need a map, it will go straight to my home....cant wait....