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Koh Samui Bridge: 74 Billion Baht Plan Targets 2033
· Luxy Samui
The planned 37 km link from Don Sak to Koh Samui is costed at 74 billion baht, with opening targeted for late 2033.
The Expressway Authority of Thailand (EXAT) held its third public hearing on the planned Koh Samui bridge on 13 February 2026. The meeting took place at the Samui campus of Surat Thani Rajabhat University. The project is now costed at about 74 billion baht. Construction is tentatively planned to start in 2029, and the road could open in late 2033. Nothing is approved yet: the plan still has to go to the EXAT board, the Transport Ministry and the cabinet.
The route
According to Khaosod English and The Nation, the link would be 37.41 kilometres long. It would start on Highway 4142 in Don Sak district, Surat Thani, pass through Khanom district in Nakhon Si Thammarat, and end on Highway 4170 at Taling Ngam, on the south-west side of Koh Samui. About 22 kilometres of the route would be a bridge over the sea.
- Four traffic lanes, open 24 hours a day.
- A clearance of at least 50 metres above the water, so that large ships can pass.
- A drive of roughly 20 minutes, compared with about two hours by ferry today.
- Motorcycles would not be allowed, because of strong winds at that height, according to Thailand Construction News.
Cost and tolls
The Nation gives a total budget of 74.044 billion baht. Most of it, 63.275 billion baht, is for construction. Land purchase is put at 1.628 billion baht, and operation and maintenance at 7.559 billion baht.
The proposed toll is 1,000 baht per trip for a four-wheel vehicle. Trucks with six to ten wheels would pay 2,000 baht, and larger trucks 3,000 baht. Khaosod reports that people surveyed accepted a range of 1,000 to 1,200 baht for a car. The Nation says the rates would be reviewed every five years and that toll collection would begin in 2034.
The timetable
The study and design phase runs until 2026. EXAT then plans to send the project to its board and to the Transport Ministry in 2026, and to seek cabinet approval in 2027. Land acquisition is planned for 2028 and 2029. EXAT also forecasts that the link could bring up to 400 billion baht into the local economy over 30 years. These are planning dates and forecasts, and large projects of this kind often move later than first announced.
What it means for villa owners
For now, nothing changes. Koh Samui is still reached by air or by ferry, and it will stay that way for at least seven more years even if every step goes to plan. Owners in the south-west of the island, near Taling Ngam, should follow the land acquisition stage, because the road would arrive there. A fixed link would also make it easier to bring building materials, supplies and staff from the mainland, but the proposed toll means the crossing would not be cheap. For day-to-day questions about running a property on the island, see villa management in Koh Samui.
