Underground Expressway will cost$ 50 billion.
After a 17-month initial feasibility study, residents of Exat have opposed the Expressway Authority of Thailand’s ( Exat ) plan to construct an underground route to replace a contentious section of the N1 Expressway development.
Exat held a second reading on the task at a motel in Bangkok’s Chatuchak area on Saturday, attended by more than 50 people.
Manawat Kamolsilp, a citizen, said that building the underwater road would cost about 50 billion ringgit, compared to 17 billion ringgit for the increased road.
” Investing more in the underground road is not justified. Construction costs may be lower and the linkages to different jobs will be simpler.
” Maintenance fees for the raised road may be lower, and toll charges will also be cheaper, “he said.
Locals had their property taken from them for the freeway construction project several years ago, according to Lt Gen Mahatthana Kamolsilp, and more property would probably need to be taken from them for the anticipated underground route. Some were unlikely to welcomed the intrusion.
Surachet Laophulsuk, the Exat government, announced on Saturday that Exat will finalize the project’s details before requesting cabinet authorization for the undertaking.
Early next time, an environmental impact assessment is anticipated to be conducted.
Bidding is cautiously scheduled for 2026, with design expected to begin the following year, if the government decides to approve it.
Mr Surachet recently mentioned the company had considered many aspects, including executive, purchase costs, and the climate impact, and found the underpass to be the most appropriate option.
The 6.3-kilometre overpass, which will be the country’s earliest road hole, may move along Ngarmwongwan Road via Phongphet Intersection, Bang Khen Intersection, and Kaset Intersection to Prasertmanukit Road before connecting with the N2 Expressway.
The tunnel, which is built in a split and support construction, will have an access point and leave with a diameter of 1.75km, as well as an elevated construction with a size of 2.49km to link with the N2-phase expressway.
” The pipe will be over 40 metres large, about the top of a 10-storey creating,” Mr Surachet said.
Because it was constructed on base pillars installed on Prasertmanukit Road, also known as Kaset Navawin Road, 25 times before, Mr. Surachet added that only the N2 and N1 areas could be driven by four-wheelers.
He claimed that the tunnel’s construction and other relevant buildings may cost an estimated 49 billion ringgit.
Of this number, 44.5 billion will be spent on construction, 3.6 billion ringgit will be allocated for property confiscation costs, and 1.06 billion ringgit will be earmarked for development control.
Exat is financially stable, he said, and it might even consider funding the project through securities.
Design is expected to take about five years, with an estimated traffic quantity of 70, 000 vehicles per day in the first year of operation, half of the route’s full capacity.
Mr. Surachet expressed confidence that the proposed underpass would address environmental concerns that had been posed by the previous design.
He mentioned that the three-phase expressway development’s northern portion is broken into two stages.
The first stage, known as the N2, covers 11.3 km and costs 16.9 billion baht to build, starting from Prasertmanukit Road to the eastern Outer Ring Road.
In the second stage, N1, Exat discussed options for replacing the contentious section with the proposed underpass. They settled on the underpass after speaking with Kasetsart University and local residents along the planned route.