The Department of Highways (DOH) aims to build a new road that bypasses Pattani's Muang district to accommodate freight transport to Malaysia, with the hope that it will become part of a broader road network in the far South.
The project is being financed using the 2019 fiscal budget.
The route will start from Highway 418 at Ban Maphraotondeaw in Nong Chik district and end in Yaring district of Pattani. If approved, it will be split into two sections -- one stretching 2.1 kilometres at a cost of 380 million baht and another spanning 2.15km at a cost of 366 million baht.
The plan includes four lanes, two in either direction.
According to transport officials, the project is in the initial stage of construction and should be completed by December 2020.
The officials said the bypass would form part of an inter-country network to help compensate for poor transport links in the area, which are reportedly taking their toll on transport conditions in Pattani and nearby provinces.
The project will facilitate cargo shipments to Malaysia and transport links in the three southernmost provinces, the officials said.
"It will also help to promote a model city project the government has initiated. The government wants Nong Chik to serve as an 'agricultural industry city'," one official said.
"The scheme should prove effective in addressing the current traffic problems in Muang district."
