| Thailand Route 44 | |
|---|---|
| Major junctions | |
| Southwest end: | Surat Thani |
| Nakhon Si Thammarat | |
| Northeast end: | Trang |
| Highway system | |
Route 44 (44) is part of land bridge project. It starts at intersection with Route 4 in Krabi Province, running northeast, and ends at intersection with Route 401 in Surat Thani Province.
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 meter apart. The large center median will be used for a railroad tracks and a pipeline. However, the project is currently stalled and nothing has been built but the roadways, leaving the center 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 4 lanes total, 2 lane for each direction with 150 meter ditch to separate the directions.