Department of Highways

What Department of Highways does

The Department of Highways (กรมทางหลวง) is a Thai government state agency under the Ministry of Transport, founded in 1912 and headquartered in Bangkok, operating as the sole statutory authority for the construction, maintenance, and management of Thailand's national highway and inter-city motorway network. It directly serves Thai citizens, commercial transport operators, and tourists, while being funded almost entirely by the Thai state. The agency's portfolio spans three major motorway corridors under development: M6 (Bang Pa-in–Nakhon Ratchasima, Northeastern), M81 (Bang Yai–Kanchanaburi, Central-Western/Eastern), and M82 (Bang Khun Thian–Bang Phaew, Southern), with the M82 elevated motorway opened on August 28, 2026.

Its technology stack centers on M-Flow, a barrier-free automated toll collection system using automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) deployed across M6, M7, and M9 motorways. Supporting systems include the workD centralized communication platform for hybrid government operations, Plannet for highway project planning and budget allocation, e-Saraban for electronic document management, a construction project progress tracking system, e-Services for permits within highway zones, DOH Linkage for cross-agency data exchange, DOH to Travel for route planning, an Open Data Portal (opendata.doh.go.th), a Smart Helpdesk, and an online queue booking system. The official website (doh.go.th) holds WCAG 2.2 Level AAA accessibility certification.

The business model is government-funded rather than commercial: revenue derives from annual Thai government budget appropriations for highway construction and maintenance, supplemented by motorway toll fees collected via M-Flow. There are no private shareholders, equity, or funding rounds. The agency employs 251–500 staff, operates provincial offices nationwide, maintains a 24-hour hotline (1586), runs a Tourist Assistance Center, and publishes the Highway Relations monthly magazine. As of 2028, inter-city motorway traffic reached 199.76 million vehicles (M9: 108.38M; M7: 91.39M).

Name

Department of Highways

Legal name

กรมทางหลวง (Department of Highways)

Website

https://doh.go.th

Company type

Private

Founded year

1912

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Department of Highways (กรมทางหลวง) is Thailand's government agency under the Ministry of Transport, responsible for constructing, maintaining, and managing the national highway and inter-city motorway network, operating the M-Flow barrier-free toll system and serving Thai citizens, commercial transport operators, and tourists nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Highway Infrastructure Management

NAICS

Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction (237310), Regulation and Administration of Transportation Programs (926120), Support Activities for Road Transportation (4884)

SIC

Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Road & Highway Authorities (Planning, Construction, Maintenance) (BPAIALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Managed Services & Operations Outsourcing for Tolling/RUC Programs (TLAJABAL), State/Provincial Transportation, Roads & Public Works Administration (BPAIABAK), Roadside Vegetation & Right-of-Way (ROW) Management (TLAJAAAG)

Keywords

• National highway infrastructure
• Inter-city motorway construction
• Electronic toll collection
• Highway maintenance services
• Public road administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Bangkok

HQ country

Thailand

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Government Budget Allocation: The department is funded through annual government budget allocations from the Thai government for highway construction, maintenance, and operations.
2. Motorway Toll Collection (M-Flow): Revenue generated from toll fees collected through the M-Flow automated toll collection system on inter-city motorways including M6, M7, M9, and other motorways.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Department of Highways is Thailand's national government agency responsible for the construction, maintenance, and management of inter-city highways and motorways. It provides highway infrastructure services to the public, operates the M-Flow automated barrier-free toll collection system on motorways, and offers digital citizen services including route search, online permits, and a 24-hour road assistance hotline. The agency also manages major motorway development projects including M6, M81, and M82 corridors.

Product overview

The Department of Highways (กรมทางหลวง) is Thailand's government agency responsible for national highway management. The organization operates a multi-platform digital service portfolio consisting of core infrastructure management systems (M-Flow electronic toll collection), internal operation platforms (workD Platform, e-Saraban, construction tracking), and citizen-facing services (route search, queue booking, complaints). The product ecosystem also includes open data and statistics portals. These systems are predominantly government-internal platforms, with limited third-party integrations, and the portfolio lacks any documented AI/ML capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• M-Flow Electronic Toll Collection System Barrier-free electronic toll collection system using automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) and free-flow technology for automatic fee collection without toll barriers on inter-city motorways (M6, M7, M9). Designed for motorists traveling on Thai expressways.
• M6 Motorway (Bang Pa-in - Nakhon Ratchasima) Inter-city motorway project on the Northeastern corridor connecting Bang Pa-in to Nakhon Ratchasima, serving commercial and passenger transportation needs in northeastern Thailand.
• M81 Motorway (Bang Yai - Kanchanaburi) Inter-city motorway project on the Central Western and Eastern corridor connecting Bang Yai to Kanchanaburi, supporting regional connectivity in central and western Thailand.
• M82 Motorway (Bang Khun Thian - Bang Phaeo Expressway) Elevated inter-city motorway spanning 25 km from Bang Khun Thian to Ekklai to Ban Phaeo, connecting Bangkok to southern provinces including Samut Sakhon, Amphawa, and Hua Hin. Structural strength evaluated by the Engineering Institute of Thailand confirming safety compliance.
• DOH to Travel Route Search Public route search and travel planning service allowing users to find routes and check distance between locations on Thai highways, accessible via the official DOH dashboard.
• e-Services Online Permit System (ระบบบริการขออนุญาตกระทำการใดๆ ในเขตทางหลวง) Online permit request system for activities within highway right-of-way, including construction permits, utility installations, and access requests. Targeted at businesses and contractors requiring permission to conduct work within highway zones.
• Online Queue Booking System (ระบบจองคิวออนไลน์) Online queue booking system for highway service appointments, allowing citizens to schedule visits to highway service points in advance.
• Complaint and Grievance System (ระบบร้องเรียนร้องทุกข์) Online complaint and grievance submission system for public complaints about highway services and corruption reports, accessible to citizens and businesses.
• Highway Statistics Service (สถิติทางหลวง) Traffic statistics and motorway traffic volume data service including M6, M7, M9 expressway data for public reference and research use.

Quantifiable outcome

• 96.12% public approval for highway construction projects based on community participation meetings
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Engineering Institute of Thailand (วิศวกรรมสถานแห่งประเทศไทย)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 August 2026The Department of Highways collaborated with the Engineering Institute of Thailand to evaluate the structural strength of M82 elevated motorway on the Bang Chueak-ekkasit-Bang Phraew route. The evaluation confirmed the structure meets safety standards and passed quality assessments, supporting the planned opening on August 28, 2026.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• National Highways (United Kingdom): UK government-owned company responsible for operating, maintaining, and improving England's motorways and major A-roads. Comparable as a state-owned strategic road network operator with capital investment programs and tolled/managed infrastructure responsibilities.
• Autobahn GmbH (Germany): German federal state-owned company responsible for planning, construction, operation, and maintenance of Germany's autobahn network. Comparable as a state-owned strategic road network operator with capital investment programs and tolled/managed infrastructure responsibilities.
• National Highways Authority of India (NHAI): Indian government body responsible for national highway development and tolling, including implementation of FASTag electronic toll collection. Direct international peer with comparable regulatory mandate, large-scale project pipeline, and electronic tolling modernization.
• Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM): Malaysian federal statutory body overseeing the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of tolled highways. Regional peer with comparable toll concession and motorway oversight responsibilities.
• Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Philippines: Philippine government agency under the Department of Transportation responsible for national road and bridge infrastructure. Comparable mandate as a national highway authority with public works responsibilities across road construction and maintenance.
• Department of Rural Roads (DRR) Thailand: Sister Thai government agency under the Ministry of Transport responsible for rural road infrastructure. Highly comparable in mandate, governance structure, and operational scope, focused on lower-tier road networks complementing the Department of Highways' national network.
• Expressway Authority of Thailand (EXAT): Thai state enterprise responsible for expressway construction and management in Bangkok metropolitan region. Direct domestic peer operating tolled expressways under a similar government mandate, with overlapping motorway responsibilities to the Department of Highways.
• Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC): Vietnamese state-owned enterprise managing the construction and operation of expressway projects. Direct regional peer with comparable tolled motorway operations across Southeast Asia.

Broad incumbents

• Federal Highway Administration (FHWA): US federal agency within the Department of Transportation overseeing the Federal-Aid Highway Program. Broader incumbent peer with a national-level regulatory and funding role rather than direct construction and operations, but operating in the same road infrastructure policy space.
• Japan Expressway Holding and Debt Repayment Agency: Japanese government-affiliated entity managing expressway assets and debt repayment across NEXCO-operated expressways. Comparable as a state-affiliated strategic expressway holding structure, though operating through concessionaire groups.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/prdoh1
• Facebookweb.facebook.com/departmentofhighway
• TikToktiktok.com/@doh.thailand
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/department-of-highways

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Department of Highways