BANGKOK: The Southern Coastal Road Project, or Thailand Riviera, was conceived to promote tourism travel along the coast. It began during the administration of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, when the Cabinet approved in principle the tourism development project for the upper southern coast on Feb 7, 2006.
The project initially covered Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon and Ranong, with a total budget of 32.54 billion baht, as proposed at the time by then deputy prime minister Suwat Liptapanlop.
The Department of Rural Roads has carried out construction and improvement works from fiscal 2009 to fiscal 2025, but has so far completed only the first phase, covering the Samut Sakhon-Phetchaburi-Prachuap Khiri Khan-Chumphon section, with a distance of 515 kilometres.
The Thailand Riviera project is now set to move forward again in fiscal 2027, with the Transport Ministry including a budget request for the remaining sections under the draft Budget Expenditure Act for fiscal 2027.
Thansettakij found that the Department of Rural Roads had proposed the budget under rural road construction activities aimed at supporting tourism. The proposed items include:
>A consultancy contract worth 18 million baht for the feasibility study and conceptual design, covering the Chumphon-Surat Thani-Nakhon Si Thammarat-Songkhla section.
>A design contract worth 21 million baht for the survey and design, covering the Sichon-Tha Sala section in Sichon and Tha Sala districts of Nakhon Si Thammarat.
The Southern Coastal Road Project, also known as Thailand Riviera, was officially named in its first phase as the Tourism Development Project for the Coastal Road on the Western Gulf of Thailand.
The full route covers Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Samut Songkhram, Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Ranong, Chumphon, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Songkhla, Pattani and Narathiwat, with a combined distance of 950km.
The four phases are as follows:
>Phase 1 covers Samut Sakhon, Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan and Chumphon, with a distance of 515 kilometres.
>Phase 2 covers Chumphon, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Songkhla, with a distance of 150 kilometres.
>Phase 3 covers Songkhla, Pattani and Narathiwat, with a distance of 200 kilometres.
>Phase 4 covers Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon and Samut Songkhram, with a distance of 85 kilometres.
In addition, there is also a Thailand Riviera tourism route along the Andaman coast, covering six provinces: Ranong, Phang Nga, Phuket, Krabi, Trang and Satun.
The Andaman route has a total distance of 600.268km and is intended to improve tourism travel and transport links along the Andaman coast by making journeys more convenient and safer. It is currently undergoing a preliminary feasibility study. - The Nation/ANN
