Traffic snarl-ups on Motorway 9 and Mitraparb

Traffic snarl-ups on Motorway 9 and Mitraparb

BANGKOK: -- Thailand's highways to the Northeast and the North were heavily jammed with vehicles as people began travelling out of the capital back homes to celebrate New Year festival.

Worst traffic jam was reported on the Friendship or Mitraparb highway, the major route to the country’s northeastern provinces.

Although highway police will provide special lanes on the reverse traffic of the Mitraparb highway in bid to enable smooth flow, snarl traffic still was reported at several places.

Significantly are sections of the highway passing the TPI cement factory in Saraburi, Muak Lek, Klang Dong, and Lamtakong. Traffic snarlup for over 10 kilometres long in each section as heavy trucks slowly climbed the hill sections of the highway.

Meanwhile Motorway No 9 is also very congested with traffic jam extending up to 20 kilometres long from the Thanyaburi toll gate from late in the morning until now.

Motorway No 9 is a toll highway leading out of capital Bangkok to the Northeast and the Northeast.

Although toll is exempted during the New Year festival to ptevent traffic clogup at the toll gate, it doesn’t help much as a hundred of thousands of vehicles use the route almost at the same time.

Highway officials recommend leaving the capital on this route as early as 3 am in the morning to avoid jams late in the morning and afternoon.

However motorists are also expected traffic snarls on the way on either the Friendship and Asian higgways.

Travel time from Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima by own car is estimated at 7-8 hours on such festive season, whereas it takes just 3-4 hours on normal days.

But for those leaving late in the day, travel time will be even longer, some up to 13 hours.

Meanwhile highway police also reported heavy traffic jams on Highway 304, an alternate routes from Bangkok and the Eastern Region to Nakhon Ratchasima and other lower and upper Northeast provinces.

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/traffic-snarl-ups-motorway-9-mitraparb/

 

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