The Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT)’s feasibility study on the Land Bridge Industrial Estate project should be completed by the end of this year, probably within 6-8 months, the authority’s governor Veeris Ammarapala said on Tuesday. The industrial estate project will be part of the government’s 1-trilion-baht land bridge project in the south of Thailand. The mega project aims to build a transport route connecting the coast of Andaman Sea to the Gulf of Thailand, which would create a shortcut between the Indian and Pacific oceans, enhance the efficiency of global goods shipments, and reduce dependence on the congested Straits of Malacca. The project would also develop parallel industries and bring modern industries to the Southern region, including constructing deep-sea ports in Chumphon and Ranong provinces that link to each other on the concept “One Port Two Sides.” Veeris said while the government is inviting investors, both domestic and foreign, to join the project, the IEAT will do its part by studying the establishment of an industrial estate in the project area to facilitate related industries. IEAT’s study will also include other infrastructure projects in the area such as seaports, highways, train routes and stations, he added. The land bridge project received a green light from the Parliament on February 15 after deliberations on the feasibility report. The project, however, faces opposition due to concerns about profitability and environmental impacts.

The study expects profitability in the 24th year. It also estimates the creation of 130,000 jobs in Chumphon and 150,000 jobs in Ranong.