Highway 44 is part of land bridge project running across the
Kra Isthmus
The Kra Isthmus ( th, คอคอดกระ, ) in Thailand is the narrowest part of the Malay Peninsula. The western part of the isthmus belongs to Ranong Province and the eastern part to Chumphon Province, both in Southern Thailand. The ...
. It starts at intersection with
Phetkasem highway (Highway 4) in
Krabi Province, running northeast, and ends at intersection with
Highway 401
King's Highway 401, commonly referred to as Highway 401 and also known by its official name as the Macdonald–Cartier Freeway or colloquially referred to as the four-oh-one,
is a controlled-access 400-series highway in the Canadian provin ...
in
Surat Thani Province. It roughly follows the route that a centuries-discussed
Thai Canal
The Thai Canal, also known as Kra Canal or Kra Isthmus Canal, refers to proposals for a canal that would connect the Gulf of Thailand with the Andaman Sea across the Kra Isthmus in southern Thailand. Such a canal would significantly reduce tr ...
might follow, if ever built.
Construction of Highway 44 began in the 1990s and was completed in 2003 at a cost of US$109.7 million.
Route details
Route 44 is part of land bridge project of Thailand's southern seaboard. However, the other parts of project have not yet built. Route 44 was slated to connect seaports on both the western and eastern coasts of Thailand. However, as the locations of seaports have not yet been finalized, only the central portion of Route 44 has been constructed. The roughly 50 km missing portions will be built when the location of the seaports has been finalized.
Route 44 is unique in that it was designed to accompany other forms of transportation. Both directions of the road were built 150 metres apart. The large centre median will be used for railroad tracks and a pipeline. However, the project is currently stalled and nothing has been built but the roadways, leaving the centre of the highway empty. There are also no crossing intersections, the only way to cross the highway is to use the U-turns or one of the few bridges.
In Krabi Province, it starts at
Amphoe Ao Luek and passes through
Plai Phraya. It enters Surat Thani Province at
Amphoe Phrasaeng and passes through
Amphoe Khian Sa,
Amphoe Ban Na Doem,
Amphoe Mueang Surat Thani and ends at
Amphoe Kanchanadit.
Total length is about 190 km. About 40 km is in Krabi Province and 150 km in Surat Thani Province. Route 44 is asphalt for entire length and has four lanes total, two lanes in each direction with a 150-metre-wide ditch to separate the roadways.
List of intersections
*Krabi Province
**(Start)
Route 4
Route 4, or Highway 4, may refer to several highways in the following countries:
International
* AH4, Asian Highway 4
* European route E04
* European route E004
* Cairo – Cape Town Highway
Albania
* SH-4 road in Albania from Durres to Kakav ...
(northwestward to
Phang Nga Province, southeastward to
Amphoe Mueang Krabi)
**Route 4035 (westward to
Amphoe Plai Phraya, eastward to
Amphoe Phrasaeng)
*Surat Thani Province
**Route 4113 (northward to
Amphoe Phunphin, southward to Amphoe Phrasaeng)
**
Route 41 (northward to Amphoe Phunphin, southward to
Amphoe Ban Na Doem (Interchange*))
**Route 4009 (northward to
Amphoe Mueang Surat Thani, southward to
Amphoe Ban Na San)
**(end)
Route 401 (westward to
Amphoe Kanchanadit, eastward to
Nakhon Si Thammarat Province)
References
{{reflist
National highways in Thailand