Phuket's Patong-Kathu Tunnel Now Targeted for October 2031

The Expressway Authority of Thailand (EXAT) has laid out a firmer schedule for the long-discussed tunnel linking Kathu to Patong under Khao Nak Kerd, the steep, accident-prone hill road that is currently the main route between the two. The 3.98-kilometre, 14-metre-wide bore is planned as Thailand’s widest road tunnel, and EXAT says it would cut the roughly 30-minute drive to about five minutes once open.

Under the revised plan, EXAT intends to bring the project to Cabinet for approval in December 2026, with land acquisition finishing by January 2027 and a contractor selected by April 2027. Construction is pencilled in to start in October 2027 and run for about four years, putting the opening at October 2031. The estimated cost is around 16.8 billion baht, which EXAT plans to fund itself before bringing in a private partner to operate and maintain the road; tolls have been revised down to roughly 20 baht, about half the figure floated earlier.

This project has slipped several times over the years, and Cabinet has not yet signed off on it, so the 2031 date is a target rather than a certainty. Still, for anyone weighing where to live or buy in Phuket, it is the clearest official timeline yet for a route that currently bottlenecks traffic between the island’s west coast and the rest of Phuket.