Traffic Chiang Mai Residents Fear 4th Ring Road Will Disrupt Way of Life

[Georgealbert]

 

Picture courtesy of CH7

 

Residents in Saraphi District, Chiang Mai, have voiced strong concerns over plans to build part of a new outer ring road, warning it could uproot their lives and force the demolition of hundreds of homes.

 

Villagers from Moo 5, Saraphi subdistrict, gathered to express their worries to a local TV news crew after learning of proposals for the construction of the southern section of Chiang Mai’s Fourth Ring Road. The 25-kilometre stretch, they fear, would cut directly through established communities, many of which have stood for more than a century.

 

Locals pointed out markers and spray-painted lines placed by the Department of Rural Roads to indicate the proposed route. Reporters observed that the markings ran through the heart of residential areas, raising alarm among residents who say the project would not only lead to compulsory land acquisition but also irreversibly change their traditional way of life.

 

“This is an old community, over 100 years old. If this goes ahead, our homes and our lives will be destroyed,” one resident said.

 

Responding to the concerns, Sompong Monkaew, Director of the Chiang Mai Rural Roads Office, told reporters that the project is still in the design and survey phase. “It will be many years before any construction begins, possibly a decade. There are still several stages, including public consultations,” he said.

 

Mr Sompong urged residents to participate in upcoming public hearings scheduled for 22 and 24 August, where they can present information and suggestions. Officials, he added, would also meet villagers on-site to discuss the project in more detail.

 

 

  Adapted by Asean Now from CH7 2025-08-15