The north of Phuket is where the island’s biggest road projects meet.
At the Phuket Real Estate Association’s sustainability seminar on 23 September 2026, a speaker representing Dr Jiraroth Sukolrat, Director of the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning, set out the plans: a new suspension bridge to the mainland, a two phase expressway, and a new highway to relieve Highway 402.
We are based in Pa Klok, in Thalang, so we watch these projects closely. Here is what is planned and how we read it for buyers.
A new bridge with rail designed in
The Department of Highways is studying a new crossing between Takua Thung in Phang Nga and Thalang in Phuket, across the Chong Pak Phra channel. As proposed in July 2025, it would span around 1,000 metres with no pillars in the water.
The seminar slides set out the detail. The purpose is to replace the old low clearance crossing, ease traffic and support tourism by allowing large cruise vessels to pass underneath. The feasibility study, survey and detailed design carry a budget of 79 million baht, about USD 2.4 million, with the study due to finish in 2026 and operations projected to begin in 2034.
“If there are no obstacles, it will be the first suspension bridge in Thailand, carrying both cars and trains,” the speaker said.
The expressway
Phase 1 runs 3.98 kilometres from Kathu to Patong, with a tunnel under the hills, at an investment of 16,757 million baht, about USD 509 million. A proposal to amend the project details is pending Cabinet approval, expected within 2027. The Expressway Authority has said the route would cut the drive between Kathu and Patong from around 30 minutes to five.
Phase 2 runs 30.62 kilometres from Mueang Mai through Koh Kaew to Kathu, at 46,752 million baht, about USD 1.4 billion. Its budget framework is under review, with construction approval and operation and maintenance for both phases being prepared as a public private partnership. The speaker gave a target opening of around 2031 to 2032.
Pa Khlok to Bang Khu
The project closest to daily life in Thalang is the Department of Highways’ Pa Khlok to Bang Khu highway study. It targets rush hour congestion on Highway 402 between Tha Ruea, home to the Heroines Monument that honours the two sisters who defended Thalang in 1785, and Phuket Town.
The 5.6 billion baht project, about USD 170 million, is in the budget proposal for detailed design in fiscal year 2027. Anyone who drives from the north into Phuket Town at peak hour will understand the value of that.
Asa Marsh on the bridge
“The Sarasin Bridge is a great bridge, but it’s very low,” said Asa Marsh, Managing Director of Easy Living Phuket. “The new suspension bridge will be a lot higher, so boats can pass underneath, and it will also support a railway.”
“Yes, you heard that right. They are planning a railway into Phuket.”
What it means for buyers in the north
Thalang already holds 47% of Phuket’s condominium and housing project supply, according to the Agency for Real Estate Affairs’ year end 2025 survey. The north is where much of the island’s new building is happening, and it is where these projects converge.
Better access tends to support demand, and the north also sits between the current airport and the planned Andaman International Airport in Phang Nga. The timelines are long, though, with the bridge projected for 2034 and the expressway for the early 2030s.
Our advice is to judge a property on its location, build quality and title today, and treat the infrastructure as a benefit that arrives over time. We can walk you through the north’s projects in person, from Pa Klok to Mai Khao.
If you’d like to talk through what these plans mean for buying in the north of Phuket, speak to the Easy Living Phuket team.
Rate used: 32.9 baht to the US dollar, September 2026.
