Koh Chang Bridge Project: Full Fact-Based Overview

The proposed Koh Chang Expressway, officially โครงการทางพิเศษเชื่อมเกาะช้าง จังหวัดตราด, is a planned fixed link between the Trat mainland and Koh Chang island. The project is being studied by the Expressway Authority of Thailand, or EXAT, and remains in the feasibility, environmental, and public consultation phase. No final construction approval has been issued, and no bridge construction has begun.

This overview compiles publicly documented information from official project consultation material, provincial public relations briefings, Thai media reporting, and local reporting. It aims to present verified facts as clearly as possible, while distinguishing between what is officially documented, what is commonly repeated, and what remains unclear.

Project Background and Stated Objectives

The bridge would create a direct road link between Laem Ngop district on the mainland and Koh Chang. In official descriptions, the project is intended to improve access to the island, reduce travel disruption during peak periods and bad weather, improve logistics and emergency access, and support economic activity in Trat province.

Existing ferry crossings from Ao Thammachat and Centrepoint typically take about 30 to 45 minutes, but queues can become much longer during holidays and busy travel periods. Official reporting has also described the bridge as a limited access 4 lane expressway, intended primarily for cars and larger vehicles rather than a general local road for all transport types.

History and Key Milestones

2017 to 2021: Earlier consultation phases

The bridge idea predates the current EXAT study. Thai reporting from 2021 states that an earlier survey had already been carried out around 2017, and that Trat authorities later launched a second, more detailed survey process in 2021 to gather further opinion on the project. That means the support figures often cited in later articles do not all come from the current EXAT study phase.

December 2021: The survey often cited as proof of “overwhelming support”

One of the most repeated figures in bridge coverage is the claim that 1,622 people were surveyed, with 1,544 in favor and 78 opposed. Official project background material used in later consultation stages states that this survey was conducted from 4 to 17 December 2021 under a Trat provincial working group established by provincial order no. 1851/2564 dated 27 September 2021.

Crucially, that same official material says the survey covered Koh Chang district, Laem Ngop district, and other areas. In other words, this was not described as a Koh Chang only vote, and it should not be presented as a referendum of Koh Chang residents alone.

Publicly accessible sources do not clearly show the full questionnaire, sample design, respondent breakdown, residency filter, or deduplication method for this survey.

30 May 2024: Current feasibility study begins

The current EXAT feasibility study officially began on 30 May 2024. Public reporting described it as a roughly 720 day, or about 24 month, process covering engineering, economics, finance, and environmental impacts.

September 2024: First public hearing of the current study

The first public hearing for the current EXAT study took place on 2 to 3 September 2024, with meetings in the study area including Koh Chang. Official descriptions make clear that this was an orientation and information session, not a binding vote. The meeting presented the project background, objectives, scope, timetable, and route options to local communities, officials, private sector representatives, community leaders, educational institutions, media, and other interested groups. Four route options were presented during this stage.

December 2024: Focus group process

Project consultation materials and local reporting indicate that focus group sessions were then held in early December 2024 as part of the route screening and consultation process. These were smaller targeted meetings rather than island wide public votes. Reporting indicates that several sessions were held across affected areas and that the input was used to help compare route options.

April 2025: Second public hearing and route presentation

A second public hearing stage was scheduled for 1 April 2025 on Koh Chang and 2 April 2025 in Trat. Official descriptions state that this phase was intended to present the selected route result and collect further comments, suggestions, and concerns.

This is important because some media summaries blur together hearings, surveys, and route selection meetings into a single impression of unanimous public approval. In reality, these were consultation events tied to route evaluation, not a clean yes or no referendum on whether the bridge should exist.

March 2026: Route 3 publicly confirmed as the preferred alignment

By early March 2026, reporting consistently indicated that Route 3 had emerged as the preferred alignment in the ongoing study, alongside an updated budget estimate and a revised timeline after additional technical and environmental work.

What the Public Hearings Were, and Were Not

A key point often lost in simplified reporting is that the public process has involved hearings, briefings, focus groups, interviews, and surveys, but not a straightforward island wide public vote.

The first hearing in September 2024 was an orientation session. The second hearing in April 2025 was a presentation of the selected route and an opportunity for comments. The 2021 figure of 1,622 responses comes from an earlier survey process covering more than just Koh Chang.

For that reason, statements such as “everybody agreed” or “Koh Chang voted overwhelmingly for the bridge” are too simplistic and are not supported cleanly by the public documentation.

Selected Route: Route 3

After technical evaluation of four options, Route 3 emerged as the preferred alignment in the current study process. Public reporting and project summaries describe Route 3 as approximately 5.90 km long, starting on the mainland near Ban Thammachat Lang, close to the Ao Thammachat ferry area, then crossing the sea to reach Ban Dan Mai on Koh Chang, in the area between the old Centrepoint pier and Amber Sands.

Route 3 has been presented as the strongest balance between distance, engineering feasibility, reduced disruption to communities, and overall project practicality.

The route has been described as including a 4 lane expressway section on land, an elevated bridge section over the sea, and a design that allows ferries and boats to continue passing under the main navigation section. Public reporting has described a main bridge span of about 200 metres over the primary navigation channel, with shorter spans elsewhere.

Route Maps and Visual Context

Relevant map and route visual references include the official project consultation material, the EXAT consultation website, and local reporting pages that show the route area from Ban Thammachat Lang to Ban Dan Mai. These visuals are useful because they show that Route 3 avoids some denser settlement areas compared with other options, but still passes through sensitive coastal and marine areas near Koh Chang.

Cost and Funding

Earlier public reporting in 2024 put the project cost at around 10 billion baht. Later reporting in 2025 described design variants with different costs depending on whether a motorcycle lane would be included. By March 2026, the headline figure widely reported for the preferred bridge project had risen to 15 billion baht.

Reporting has also indicated that the project is currently expected to rely on government funding through EXAT, pending later approvals. As with the route, the cost picture has evolved over time, so older figures and newer figures should not be treated as identical stages of the same finalized plan.

Current Timeline

The timeline has shifted. Earlier expectations suggested a faster path, but by 2026 reporting indicated roughly a one year delay because of extended technical, geological, oceanographic, and environmental work.

Based on the latest public reporting, the process currently looks roughly as follows:

Late April to early May 2026: additional subgroup consultations and the third public hearing, intended to summarize engineering, economic, financial, and environmental study results.
Late 2026 to early 2027: coordination with utility agencies and finalization of study results.
2028: submission for Cabinet level approval, according to recent media timelines.
2029: land acquisition phase, if the project is approved.
2030: possible construction start, with a build period of roughly four years.
2034: possible opening to service, based on current public estimates rather than any final approved construction schedule.

These dates remain provisional. The project still depends on completion of the study process, environmental review, national park related permissions, government approval, and later land acquisition.

Environmental and Social Considerations: Documented Concerns

The route passes through or near environmentally sensitive areas. Public reporting and project discussion have repeatedly highlighted the fact that the selected alignment affects a portion of the coastal and marine environment near Koh Chang, including coral related areas and a section of Mu Ko Chang Marine National Park. Reported figures vary slightly by source, but they consistently indicate that Route 3 intersects protected or sensitive marine territory and therefore requires careful environmental review.

Environmental concerns

Documented environmental concerns include possible impacts on coral, marine ecosystems, biodiversity, currents, water quality, and coastal habitats. Construction stage risks discussed publicly include sediment disturbance, noise, and disruption to marine life.

The project remains subject to ongoing environmental review, and those studies are supposed to determine whether impacts can be mitigated adequately or whether the project would face more serious obstacles. Relevant agencies involved in study permissions and review have included the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, and the Royal Forest Department.

Social and community concerns

Publicly documented concerns go beyond the environment. Local discussion has included worries about accelerated tourism development, pressure on water, electricity, waste systems, and island roads, as well as questions about toll pricing, compensation, and whether the bridge would genuinely benefit residents.

Another issue raised repeatedly is transport equity. If the expressway is effectively designed for cars and larger vehicles, residents and lower budget travellers who rely on motorcycles may not benefit in the same way.

Some mainland interests have also raised concerns that direct bridge access could reduce the economic role of ferry linked overnight stays and traffic through existing mainland areas.

Who has voiced concern

Public sources show that support has often been strongest among participants in official hearings, which tend to include local officials, business people, community representatives, and other organized stakeholders. At the same time, concern and skepticism have been visible among some environmental voices, some expats and foreign residents, and in online discussion more broadly.

This does not mean the project lacks local support. It means that the simple narrative of universal consensus is not a complete description of the public conversation.

Public Consultations and Overall Feedback

Multiple rounds of consultation have taken place between 2017 and 2025, including earlier surveys, official hearings, focus groups, and later route presentation sessions. These consultation rounds often reported strong support among those who participated, and Route 3 appears to have received broad backing within the formal consultation process.

However, it is important to separate three different things:

Earlier surveys, including the December 2021 survey of 1,622 responses.
Formal EXAT hearings in 2024 and 2025.
Broader public opinion, which is harder to measure and is not captured perfectly by hearing attendance or summary counts.

The key caution is that the famous 1,622 respondent figure is often cited as if it proves overwhelming support among Koh Chang residents. The official material itself does not support that exact interpretation. It supports only this narrower claim: an official survey conducted in December 2021 reported 1,544 favorable responses out of 1,622 total, across Koh Chang, Laem Ngop, and other areas. Without the full public methodology, that figure should be cited carefully.

Current Status

Route 3 is the preferred alignment in the ongoing study process. The current headline budget is about 15 billion baht. More consultation steps and study work are still required before any final approval.

The project remains subject to environmental review, national park related scrutiny, government decision making, and later land acquisition. It should therefore still be understood as a live proposal under study, not as a finalized approved project ready for immediate construction.

What is Clear, and What is Still Unclear

What is clear

The bridge project is real, active, and being studied seriously by EXAT. Route 3 is currently the preferred alignment. Strong support has been recorded in formal consultation processes. A survey reporting 1,622 responses and 1,544 favorable answers does exist in official project material.

What is still unclear

Publicly accessible material does not clearly provide the full methodology of the December 2021 survey, including the exact questionnaire, the location breakdown of respondents, how many were actually Koh Chang residents, how “other areas” was defined, or how duplicate or non resident participation was controlled.

For that reason, claims of overwhelming island wide consensus should be treated with caution unless stronger primary documentation is published.

Primary Sources

Official Koh Chang Expressway consultation website and participation material.
Trat Provincial Public Relations Department briefings on the first and second public hearing stages.
The Nation Thailand reporting on the second survey process in October 2021.
Bangkok Post coverage of the 2024 first hearing and project cost estimates.
Bangkok Post coverage of later local opposition and route stage developments in 2025.
Local reporting from iamkohchang.com and other local English language summaries for route and timeline updates.
Previous working draft, revised here for accuracy and clarity.