Post-Songkran travel surge leads to heavy traffic into Bangkok
Traffic swelled on the roads heading towards Bangkok as the long holiday season drew to a close, with authorities opening additional lanes to manage the influx. Yesterday, citizens began returning to the capital in droves after celebrating the Songkran festival.
The Mittraphap Road, a major thoroughfare connecting the northeastern region of Thailand to Bangkok, experienced significant congestion, particularly at the 39-kilometre mark descending from Khao Khlang Dong in Pak Chong District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province.
Authorities from Nakhon Ratchasima’s Highway Police implemented special traffic measures extending from Pak Chong to Saraburi Province to help ease the gridlock. Specifically, between Muak Lek District and Kaeng Khoi District, they opened extra lanes from the 30-kilometre mark in Muak Lek to the 17-kilometre mark in Thap Kwang, Kaeng Khoi. These measures facilitated the movement of vehicles into Saraburi city centre, with every lane packed with traffic.
In Saraburi Province, both the Highway Police and the Department of Highways worked tirelessly to provide convenience for those travelling back to Bangkok. On Phahonyothin Road, which leads into the capital, the flow of vehicles was relatively smooth, with traffic maintaining speeds of around 60 kilometres per hour around the 99-kilometre mark in Mueang Saraburi District.
However, by 9pm, due to the heavy volume of traffic, authorities took the extraordinary step of opening eight inbound lanes towards Bangkok from the 99-kilometre mark to the 71-kilometre mark in Wang Noi District, Ayutthaya Province, reported KhaoSod.
Depending on the volume of vehicles, this expanded passage could extend to the 54-kilometre mark in Bang Pa-in District, Ayutthaya Province. Motorists heading to Saraburi were advised to use parallel routes to avoid delays.
In related news, Phuket International Airport is once again reminding those scheduled to fly out of the island to factor in additional travel time to reach the airport. This advice, which was initially issued for the new year period, has been reiterated due to persistent heavy traffic on the island’s main roads.
