NAKHON RATCHASIMA: Mittraparb Road was jampacked with vehicles as holidaymakers headed back to their home provinces to celebrate the Songkran festival.
Nakhon Ratchasima, dubbed the gateway to the Northeast, was choked in traffic, particularly on Mittraparb Road, a major provincial artery.
Traffic was particularly heavy at five different points on the road: a 10km stretch between tambon Mittraparb in Saraburi’s Muak Lek district and tambon Dong Phayayen in Pak Chong district; a 4km-long jam from Chok Chai Farm in Pak Chong to tambon Khlong Pai in Sikhiu district; a 3km bottleneck on the elevated bridge between Pak Thong Chai intersection and Mittraparb Road; a 10km stretch between the elevated road and Ban Pho intersection in Muang district, and 7km of the road between Talad Khae intersection in Non Sung district and tambon Ta Chan in Khong district.
Congestion was expected to continue throughout the evening as traffic continued to build up.
Suthep Ruenthawin, chief of the Nakhon Ratchasima disaster prevention and mitigation office, said on Thursday that 2 road accidents occurred in this northeastern province on Wednesday. The crashes claimed one life and injured 13 others, he said.