Traffic congestion was heavy on major roads in Nakhon Ratchasima province in the Northeast and Highway 32 in Chai Nat province in the North on Friday morning - and expected to get worse as the mass New Year exodus from Bangkok continued.
In the Northeast, traffic was already moving slowly on a section of the Nakhon Ratchasima-Khon Kaen bypass at Pak Thong Chai intersection in tambon Pruyai, Muang district, around 8.30am on Friday.
Vehicles moved at a snail’s pace for a distance of more than two kilometres, the bottleneck caused by the linking of the Mitraparp Highway and Highway 304 (Pak Thong chai-Kabin Buri).
The provincial traffic coordinating centre reported snarl-ups at four locations, all on the Mittraparp Highway. The first was a section near a motorway construction site in tambon Nong Sarai of Pak Chong district, where the tailback stretched over 10 kilometres. Traffic police opened an extra lane along more than three kilometres to ease the congestion.
At a section along the Lam Takhong reservoir in Sikhiu district where a new motorway is being constructed traffic was stacked up for about five kilometres.
A section of a bypass road was the third spot. Many vehicles were stuck in edging-forward traffic for more than two kilometres.
The fourth was on the way down from the elevated bridge in tambon Jor Hor of Muang district, where traffic was slow for a distance of more than eight kilometres.
On Highway 304 (Pak Thong Chai-Kabin Buri), traffic was heavy only on an uphill section in tambon Thai Samakhi of Wang Nam Khieo district. Traffic was flowing better on other sections of this route.
In the North, traffic congestion was reported on a section of Highway 32 in Chai Nat province on Friday morning as motorists passed through Sapphaya and Muang districts before entering Nakhon Sawan province through Phayuha Khiri district.
Officials predicted that the traffic situation on the northern-bound route would worsen on main roads onFriday afternoon, particularly at Hang Nam Sakhon intersection. Motorists were advised to use Highway 340 (Suphan Buri-Chai Nat) to enter Nakhon Sawan.
Traffic at a crawl on the highway, heading to Nakhon Sawan on Friday. (Photo by Chudate Seehawong)