Soon Kolkata to Bangkok by Road; Trilateral Highway likely to open in 2027

New Delhi: According to the officials, the trilateral highway connecting Bangkok with Kolkata is likely to be ready in the coming few years. Commerce ministers of various countries and provinces on Tuesday said that it is expected to be complete in the next three to four years. 

It is said that linking these countries will boost trade between India and ASEAN. The Group of commerce ministers talked about the transboundary roadway is being constructed as a part of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) project at a three-day business conclave organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in Kolkata.
 

 

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Back in April 2002, in a ministerial meeting between India, Myanmar and Thailand this plan was approved. The recent conclave saw the participation of over 600 business delegates from 7 countries, including 190 people from international delegations.

India–Myanmar–Thailand highway route

The proposed highway project plan will be connecting Moreh to Mae Sot via Myanmar, starting from Bangkok and go through cities like Sukhothai and Mae Sot in Thailand and Yangon, Mandalay, Kalewa, and Tamu in Myanmar before entering India. 

The 160 km (99 mi) long India–Myanmar Friendship Road, linking Moreh-Tamu-Kalemyo-Kalewa, was officially inaugurated on 13 February 2001.

The total covering distance would be a little over 2,800 km.

The backdrop of Trilateral Highway

In May 2012, India announced it would invest US$100 million to repave the existing highway and upgrade all 71 bridges that Myanmar had failed to build. India and Myanmar signed an agreement to speed up the construction of the road on 29 August 2016.

In August 2017, the government of India allocated US$256 million for the upgrade of 1,360 km (850 mi) highway from Moreh in Manipur through Tamu, Myanmar to Mae Sot in Thailand. On 6 September 2017, the National Highway Authority of India awarded a Rs 1,200 crore (US$150 million) construction and maintenance road contract for the Kalewa-Yagyi section in Myanmar to a joint venture of Punj Lloyd and Varaha Infra Ltd. 

In May 2017, India's NITI Aayog proposed establishing a Special Purpose Vehicle owned by all three countries to monitor and implement the project.

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India–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highway 

India–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highway (IMT Highway), 1,360 km (850 mi) long route, is a highway under construction under India's Look East policy that will connect Moreh, India with Mae Sot, Thailand via Myanmar.

The Imphal-Mandalay-Bangkok 1,813 km (1,127 mi) route, consisting of Imphal-Mandalay 584 km (363 mi) and Mandalay-Bangkok 1,397 km (868 mi), is a highway in good condition except for 101 km (63 mi) part of 120 km (75 mi) long Kalewa-Yagyi stretch being built to 2-lane in each direction (total 4 lanes) highway by India.

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