Highway police were trying to ease traffic congestion on Mittraphap Road on Saturday afternoon as revellers headed north to celebrate the Songkran festival at home.
Highway police in Nakhon Ratchasima opened a normally southbound lane to northbound traffic on Saturday to ease congestion on Mittraphap Road. (Photo by Prasit Tangprasert)
Traffic congestion was also reported on southbound Phetkasem Road in Chumphon and on the Asian Highway in Ang Thong.
The Highway Police unit in Nakhon Ratchasima opened the Bangkok-bound lane on Mittraphap Road to northbound traffic between Muak Lek district in Saraburi and tambon Klang Dong in Pak Chong district of Nakhon Ratchasima.
The traffic snarls on were building in the area where Mittraphap Road starts to ascend from the central plains in Muak Lek to the northeastern plateau in Pak Chong.
Police also opened an additional lane between the Pak Thongchai and Jor Hor intersections in Nakhon Ratchasima to facilitate better traffic flow.
Nakhon Ratchasima police warned drivers to avoid driving to Muang district and suggested they use alternative routes instead o Mittraphap to other northeastern provinces.
On the Phetkasem highway, traffic was slow in Chumphon and Pol Maj Col Charoenpong Khantiloo of the Chumphon Highway Police expected conditions to worsen as more cars leaving Bangkok in the morning arrived in the province in the afternoon.
The situation should ease on Saturday night, he added.
Chumphon is the gateway to other southern provinces.
Ang Thong police, meanwhile, reported traffic jams and congestion on the Asian Highway in the central province.
Traffic was jammed for about 10 kilometres on the highway from Ayutthaya to Sing Buri on Saturday morning, police said.