Songkran revelers swarm Mittraparb Highway to initiate journeys to their communities.
Described: 12 Apr 2024 at 16: 33
As Songkran revellers streamed out of Bangkok on Friday, the first day of a five-day vacation to enjoy the ocean event, visitors was congested on major roads in Nakhon Ratchasima, the gate to the Northeast, and adjacent areas.
On Friday morning, heavy traffic was reported at kilometer marker 55 on the Pak Chong district’s Mittraparb Highway, which is bound for Korat. In the center of Pak Chong district, vehicles were moving at speeds of only 20 to 30 kilometers per hour.
Congestion developed between the Phon Nong Sarai and Phon Khlong Phai in the northeastern province of Sikhiu from the Phon Nong Sarai in Pak Chong. To facilitate traffic flow, highway police and neighborhood police had to set up special lanes.
Somkiart Sairada, a driver from Samut Prakan, reported leaving his home in the central province at around 4.15 am on Friday for Songkran celebrations in Mukdahan in the upper Northeast. Due to the heavy traffic, he arrived in Nakhon Ratchasima at 11.25 a.m., seven hours after setting out.
In Prachin Buri, heavy traffic was reported on Highway 304 between Na Di and Muang districts. Numerous revellers traveling from eastern provinces to Bangkok were taking the Northeast’s route to visit their ancestral homelands.
Vehicles were moving at 30- 40kph on Highway 304. Some areas of Na Di and the Nakhon Ratchasima district’s Wang Nam Khieo district saw the growth of traffic.