For more than a decade, Phuket has been talking about a tunnel to Patong.

The reason is obvious. The existing road over Khao Patong is steep, winding, frequently congested and notorious for accidents. A direct tunnel between Kathu and Patong has therefore become one of the island’s most closely watched infrastructure projects.

Now it is getting closer. According to EXAT, land acquisition for the Kathu–Patong section is around 99% complete, with the remaining plots expected to be secured by September 2026. The revised project is due to return to Cabinet for approval in the fourth quarter of 2026. If approved, construction could begin in 2027 and take around four years, putting the opening around 2031.

Yet the Patong Tunnel is only the most visible part of a much bigger story. The name is Phuket Expressway.

The Phuket Expressway is planned as the island’s first toll motorway, ultimately creating an alternative north-south route to Thepkrasattri Rd. Its second and much longer section will run for about 30.6 kilometres from Mueang Mai near the airport through Koh Kaew to Kathu, where it will connect with the tunnel into Patong. The route will also link into Bypass Road, giving traffic another way towards Phuket Town and the south. This second section is a separate phase with its own approval and construction timetable.

In practical terms, the ambition is simple: one continuous high-capacity route from the airport area towards Patong, with another connection towards central Phuket.

That matters because the island still depends overwhelmingly on Highway 402. When something goes wrong on Thepkrasattri, there are remarkably few alternatives for an island receiving millions of visitors every year.

The Kathu–Patong section will be just under four kilometres long, including a 1.85-kilometre underground stretch. The latest redesign narrows the tunnel from 17 to 14 metres, partly to contain construction costs while maintaining safety standards. The proposed toll has also been cut, with an initial rate of B20 for cars and B10 for motorcycles.

And while Phuket waits for the expressway, another important route is being developed on the opposite side of the island.

Highway 4027 through Paklok, past the access roads for Ao Po Grand Marina and Phuket Yacht Haven, is being upgraded as an eastern alternative between northern Phuket and the city. Most of the road is already four lanes; remaining bottlenecks are being widened, a new direct connection towards the airport is under development, and plans include a new Paklok-Bang Khu link towards Koh Kaew.

It will not replace the Phuket Expressway. Nor is it intended to. But together the projects reveal the scale of what Phuket is finally trying to fix: an island that has grown into an international destination while still relying on a road network designed for a much smaller place. The Patong Tunnel will remain the headline. The real project is giving Phuket more than one way to move.