Cabinet Approves 7.2 Billion Baht Increase for Rama 3 Expressway
The Cabinet approved a 7.2 billion baht budget increase for the Rama 3 Expressway to cover construction borrowing costs, keeping the project on track for a 2027 opening.
The Cabinet approved a 7.2 billion baht increase to the investment budget for the Rama 3–Daokhanong–Outer Ring Road West Expressway project. Government spokesperson Ploythale Lakkhamsangchan revealed that the Cabinet resolved to let the Expressway Authority of Thailand (EXAT) adjust the investment budget frame for the Rama 3 Expressway project as proposed by the Ministry of Transport. The original budget frame from the June 6, 2017 Cabinet resolution set the investment frame at 31,244 million baht and construction costs at 30,437 million baht. The new proposed frames are 38,444 million baht for investment and 37,637 million baht for construction. The 7.2 billion baht increase covers additional borrowing costs during construction to ensure EXAT can disburse construction and borrowing costs and open the Rama 3 Expressway by the 2027 target. For the increased borrowing costs, EXAT will use revenue earmarked for the TFFIF fund as the funding source without requesting additional budget allocations. The EXAT Board approved this on July 25, 2025 and September 23, 2025. The Office of the Industrial Policy Committee, Ministry of Finance, Budget Bureau, and NESDC agreed that future investment proposals should strictly include borrowing and financial costs within the project investment frame to reflect true project value and cost per accounting standards, ensuring accurate fiscal burden assessment and investment return analysis. The Council of State opined that if the Transport Ministry followed relevant laws, regulations, and Cabinet resolutions and consulted relevant agencies, the matter falls within the Cabinet's authority to approve as proposed.
