A new motorway from Chon Buri to Pattaya will be opened for trial use next month before its official launch after the Songkran holidays, the Highways Department said.
From Jan 5 motorists will be able to use the 42-kilometre section of the expressway connecting Chon Buri with the resort city for free.
The new expressway, which links to the Bangkok-Chon Buri motorway at the Ban Bung toll gate in Chon Buri's Muang district, was built to improve traffic flow between the capital and the beach city
The official opening is scheduled for after the Songkran festival, when tolls will start being charged, the department said on its website.
The charge will be 45 baht from the Ban Bung toll gate to Pattaya, and 105 baht for driving from Bangkok to the seaside city.