Pattaya: New Route 7 extension set to open on May 22nd - free for three months

 

Picture: 77kaoded

 

The much awaited extension to the Route 7 motorway - Pattaya to Maptaput - will finally be opened next Friday, May 22nd, reported 77kaoded.

 

The road is part of projects costing 14.2 billion baht and has been under construction since 2016.

 

Motorists will be able to use the road for free for the first three months until August.

 

Picture: 77kaoded

 

Reporters went to see the road and described it as six lanes in each direction at points and of high quality. It features 28 cm thick concrete and good signage and safety features.

 

Some work is still being done on booths and intersections but the road will officially open next week. 

 

Picture: 77kaoded

 

Developments in the area will provide better links from Pattaya to U-Tapao airport and are part of projects connected to the government's EEC (Eastern Economic Corridor) plans.

 

Source: 77kaoded

 

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10 minutes ago, webfact said:

Reporters went to see the road and described it as six lanes in each direction at points and of high quality. It features 28 cm thick concrete and good signage and safety features.

Meanwhile reporters were unable to determine the quality of the drivers that will be using the road.. ????

 

 

can i leave my house now? 

When I look at how they built the diversion from the existing highway to the new part, I know there will be accidents every day

Should help cut down the time to some of the golf courses.

1 hour ago, bkk6060 said:

Should help cut down the time to some of the golf courses.

Don't forget your passport!

Got to say, in comparison to the UK road system, here it's generally excellent. Yet one more great addition  to the network around where I live, although I have no idea how they can afford to fund these things, Japanese and Chinese money I guess. 

The problem in the UK are the stupidly ludicrous planning laws that make building new roads, and anything else  that is desperately needed, virtually impossible., No such problem in Thailand.    

Edited May 15, 20206 yr by Pilotman

This article do need a map IMHO...

 

 

32 minutes ago, johng said:

 

 

So less roads in a bigger country is better ?

 

Toll roads maybe ?  UK has  23  apparently 

 

Thailand toll roads ????? 

 

The Thai highways department is furiously building new roads such that in a couple of years time, they'll probably overtake the UK quite easily. Also, many parts of the country have no roads due to being in protected areas/difficult terrain (such as along Thailand's western border with Myanmar). The UK is mostly flat/rolling hills and there are no areas of the country with difficult terrain where roads can't be built.

 

3 major toll road projects in Thailand currently under construction - this is the first one to be opened. Two more (one to Kanchanaburi the other to Korat) to be opened in 3 and 2 years from now, respectively. A couple more also underway (early stages) in the greater Bangkok area, or in the planning stages.

 

Unpaved local roads not under the jurisdiction of the highway department are not counted in Thailand's road network. Therefore, it's possible there are 100,000km of more road not mentioned by the Highway Department. These are mostly tracks up in mountainous areas of the north and through agricultural areas and national parks.

24 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

The problem in the UK are the stupidly ludicrous planning laws that make building new roads, and anything else  that is desperately needed, virtually impossible., No such problem in Thailand.    

Er... this is one of the good things about the UK imho. Haven't you noticed how building more roads just attracts more traffic but never solves the problem? You just end up with a ruined environment. One of things I love and find refreshing about the UK is that the roads are generally smaller and better landscaped than the ones here so you are not bombarded by a war zone the entire length of your journey. This is directly due to strict planning regulations. In Thailand, they just build more and more lanes with no proper EIA or open it up to local discussion. No recourse to appeal etc.

 

The main Norwich-Ipswich A140 has been single lane since I was a kid and still is for the most part. Meanwhile the 332 near Sattahip has just been enlarged from to 4 lanes from 2 but not content with bulldozing flat all the mature trees on one side, I noticed they are grubbing out all the trees on the other side too so presumably 6 lanes or more when they are done destroying the last pretty part of Chonburi. The irony is that the said motorway in the report will carry a good proportion of the 332 traffic (or would do if it were left 2 lanes) because it goes to Bahn Amphur and has an entrance in nearly the same place on Sukhumvit. So 2 or posibly 4 extra lanes more than has worked up to now (with no motorway the relieve the traffic) for anyone who just happens to come from Ban Chang and wants to go to Yaek Che and to tight to pay the toll. In the UK, they would have left the road 2 lane and everyone who needed to get there faster, take the motorway and leave the local communities and environment as intact as possible. It's a disaster area in Sattahip and for no logical legit reason unless they plan to completely cover the place with housing and industrial estates (EEC oh I forgot...) ???? )

A post with multiple unattributed quotes has been removed:

 

5. Please do not quote multiple nested quotes. Quote only the relevant section that you are discussing. Moderators will snip excessively long nested quotes. 

4 hours ago, Susco said:

When I look at how they built the diversion from the existing highway to the new part, I know there will be accidents every day

Yes, extremely poorly executed and they had plenty of empty land there.  

5 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

can i leave my house now? 

NO! your paranoid - forget? ???? 

Perhaps they could concentrate on building decent footpaths in the future????????‍♂️????????????

17 hours ago, Pilotman said:

The problem in the UK are the stupidly ludicrous planning laws that make building new roads, and anything else  that is desperately needed, virtually impossible., No such problem in Thailand.    

Build a road it fills up with cars, build another road, that fills up with cars, build another road... same

maybe building roads isn't the best solution.

 

1 hour ago, hotchilli said:

Build a road it fills up with cars, build another road, that fills up with cars, build another road... same

maybe building roads isn't the best solution.

 

Not so Sir, same old false argument being peddled around. It's economic wealth  and with that, social mobility, that increases car use, not the availability of roads. It is an academically illogical deduction that road building increases traffic, its putting the cart before the horse.   China's road use growth in recent years is a case in point and goes to proves this to be so.  I remember, when I was a kid, a family were lucky to have one car, now, Dad, Mum and many kids have cars, because family wealth has increased exponentially and  they can afford to buy them.  It's the same argument for air traffic growth.  Air traffic hasn't grown because of the number of aircraft and airports provided, its simply supply and demand, it has grown because people can afford to travel.   

3 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

Not so Sir, same old false argument being peddled around. It's economic wealth  and with that, social mobility, that increases car use, not the availability of roads. It is an academically illogical deduction that road building increases traffic, its putting the cart before the horse.   China's road use growth in recent years is a case in point and goes to proves this to be so.  I remember, when I was a kid, a family were lucky to have one car, now, Dad, Mum and many kids have cars, because family wealth has increased exponentially and  they can afford to buy them.  It's the same argument for air traffic growth.  Air traffic hasn't grown because of the number of aircraft and airports provided, its simply supply and demand, it has grown because people can afford to travel.   

Always two sides to a coin.. yes wealth allows people to buy cars, but they can only use them if roads are built to use them on, otherwise it stays in the garage.

Better to build cheaper mass transport systems which people would prefer to use with inner city links on car free roads, using fast efficient public transport.

4 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Always two sides to a coin.. yes wealth allows people to buy cars, but they can only use them if roads are built to use them on, otherwise it stays in the garage.

Better to build cheaper mass transport systems which people would prefer to use with inner city links on car free roads, using fast efficient public transport.

sorry to disagree, but if they buy cars then they drive them, hence horrendous road congestion. See San Paolo or Hong Kong for prime examples of this.  People may use public transport in Cities and for work, but not for leisure activities.  It rarely goes where you want to go, at the time you want to go,  its too slow and too expensive.  An adequate road system, such as in Thailand, is essential  for economic development and growth, a lesson the UK has yet to learn.  

19 hours ago, Pilotman said:

Got to say, in comparison to the UK road system, here it's generally excellent. Yet one more great addition  to the network around where I live, although I have no idea how they can afford to fund these things, Japanese and Chinese money I guess. 

You think so? The motorway network around Bangkok (and now Pattaya) is quite good but there is nothing around the rest of the country, especially upto Isaan and the North.

1 minute ago, Henryford said:

You think so? The motorway network around Bangkok (and now Pattaya) is quite good but there is nothing around the rest of the country, especially upto Isaan and the North.

I drive from Rayong to Udon a couple of times a year or so, it is duel carriageway virtually all the way, all 600 km of it.  It actually ends around 5km from my wife's village.  That's what I call a great bit of road network. ? When off the main roads, at least around here in Rayong, up to Korat and East from there, the roads are in excellent repair, often duelled, often well lit and smooth. 

I was really referring to the motorway network where you sit on the road at 100 kpm+ without stopping for a few hours. Dual carriageways are OK but you are always stopping for traffic lights, roadworks, heavy goods vehicles etc. Whenever i drive north i am lucky to average 60 kph.

I appreciate the map provided by Pattaya46.  One point about it; on the green map where it says Highway no 3 Ban Amphur - that is the exact spot of a BIB Bandit block near the Ambassador.

4 minutes ago, mikebell said:

I appreciate the map provided by Pattaya46.  One point about it; on the green map where it says Highway no 3 Ban Amphur - that is the exact spot of a BIB Bandit block near the Ambassador.

It sure is.

I wager it will be a busy spot when things open up properly as their coffers will be emptier than a Pattaya hotel right now

34 minutes ago, Henryford said:

I was really referring to the motorway network where you sit on the road at 100 kpm+ without stopping for a few hours. Dual carriageways are OK but you are always stopping for traffic lights, roadworks, heavy goods vehicles etc. Whenever i drive north i am lucky to average 60 kph.

If only they would spend some money on computerized traffic lights, instead of stopping 4 lanes of traffic to let one car from a side road, the best i saw was in the UK Swindon duel carriage way that goes past the huge industrial site, stay at the speed limit and you hit every light on green.

ah --will be ideal race track for Thai drivers !!!

Looks nearly compete except for the finishing touches like traffic lights and what not. It wouldn’t be Thailand without those goddamn traffic lights and overloaded pick-ups blocking the passing lane.????

21 hours ago, Pilotman said:

Got to say, in comparison to the UK road system, here it's generally excellent. Yet one more great addition  to the network around where I live, although I have no idea how they can afford to fund these things, Japanese and Chinese money I guess. 

UK government and greenies still spout off that new roads create more traffic, that's why the roads are congested and a mess....biggest lie ever

1 minute ago, baansgr said:

UK government and greenies still spout off that new roads create more traffic, that's why the roads are congested and a mess....biggest lie ever

To quote Mandy Rice-Davies; well they would say that wouldn't they?