Thailand road development planning

A group of experts from Thailand have been visiting the UK to research methods that would help boost road development. The planning and engineering team from Thailand’s Department of Rural Roads (DRR) have been holding meetings with UK counterparts about adopting a scheme similar to its Highways Authority Approval Scheme (HAPAS). The DRR has the responsibility for over 47,700km of Thailand’s 396,600km road network, upgrading paved and earth roads and delivering bridge projects. This is intended to boost so
May 2, 2019 Read time: 3 mins
A group of experts from Thailand have been visiting the UK to research methods that would help boost road development. The planning and engineering team from Thailand’s Department of Rural Roads (DRR) have been holding meetings with UK counterparts about adopting a scheme similar to its Highways Authority Approval Scheme (HAPAS).


The DRR has the responsibility for over 47,700km of Thailand’s 396,600km road network, upgrading paved and earth roads and delivering bridge projects. This is intended to boost social, economic and tourism related activities. The department is pushing ahead with improvements in the quality and consistency of highway construction. The DRR delegation says it is keen to understand how the UK agrees standards and certificates new and innovate highway construction products.

“If we don’t have the right standards local governments will use many products and the quality of these products will not be consistent,” Chakree Bamrumgwong, DRR director of Office of Road Safety Audit, explained. “Some will be good and some will be not so good so we want to standardise it. It is very useful to learn.”

The DRR now intends to work towards establishing a scheme similar to HAPAS: “The DRR needs to set up a highways material standard like HAPAS for the quality control of the material and products used in Thailand’s rural and local roads. We learned a lot about the HAPAS system and other useful information, all of which supports our thinking to do more for the future,” said Mr Bamrumgwong.

The DRR has a 10 year plan to centralise and standardise highways specifications. At present it utilises predominantly American standards for highway product specification and design and, where they prove insufficient, looks to other international standards - including British Standards - to translate into its projects. The department also intends to take the lead on encouraging all agencies involved in the Thai road network to collaborate in a further move to drive up product and safety standards.

While in the UK, the DRR representatives also visited the Department for Transport’s Local Transport Group, 8100 Highways England, the National Traffic Operation Centre and the Nottingham Transportation Engineering Centre, where a Memorandum of Understanding for technical co-operation between the DRR and NTEC was signed.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Directive on road infrastructure safety management – to improve mobility safely
    September 12, 2018
    Better signs and more compliance leads to safer roads, says Christophe Nicodème, director general of the European Union Road Federation in the first of a regular new series of columns from ERF The Third Mobility Package launched by the European Commission represents the final piece of the “Europe on the Move Agenda” towards a modernisation of transport policy adapting to new decarbonisation and digitisation commitments. The package is composed of elements impacting various transport elements, among which
    Read More
  • Chinese firm Shantui is developing a long term business strategy for growth
    November 13, 2014
    Chinese manufacturer Shantui is expanding its operations with a more diverse range of products – Mike Woof reports Chinese manufacturer Shantui is reorganising its operations to cope with the current tough market conditions, taking a long term view that is geared for future growth. The firm has expanded its operations significantly, broadening its product line away from its reliance on the bulldozer business where it has its origins. Demand for concrete equipment has been strong in China and the firm saw t
    Read More
  • Chinese firm Shantui is developing a long term business strategy for growth
    January 6, 2017
    Chinese manufacturer Shantui is expanding its operations with a more diverse range of products – Mike Woof reports Chinese manufacturer Shantui is reorganising its operations to cope with the current tough market conditions, taking a long term view that is geared for future growth. The firm has expanded its operations significantly, broadening its product line away from its reliance on the bulldozer business where it has its origins. Demand for concrete equipment has been strong in China and the firm saw t
    Read More
  • CNH investing in new Brazilian factory
    April 25, 2012
    CNH is planning to build a new factory at Minais Gerais in Brazil in an investment worth some US$341.4 million (R$600 million). The factory will be located in Montes Claros, in the northern part of Minas Gerais. The firm has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the authorities in Minas Gerais (Brazil) at Fiat Industrial’s headquarters in Turin, Italy. The agreement was reached during a visit by a Minas Gerais state government delegation, led by Governor Antonio Anastasia. “This agreement strengthens ou
    Read More

Highlighted Content