[category]
[title]
Roads and expressways may not sound like they have much to do with everyday life, but for anyone who regularly drives out of Bangkok, a change to the network means real savings on time and money down the track. Lately the Ministry of Transport keeps a close watch on 50 road projects nationwide, and a good number of them edge closer to opening.
One route worth a spot in the diary is the Bang Pa-In–Nakhon Ratchasima Motorway (M6). Its Bang Pa-In to Pak Chong stretch offers a toll-free trial every Friday to Sunday from August 21, 2026, with the full launch pencilled in for April 2027. It's the kind of upgrade holiday traffic sorely needs, when one accident on Mittraphap Road can stretch a three-hour drive to five. Weekenders finally get a proper alternative, plus a smoother run to the Khao Yai wineries, the hillside cafés and the national park gates.
Closer to home, Motorway M82 (Bang Khun Thian–Ban Phaeo) opens its whole length for free from August 28, a gift to anyone pointed towards the Samut Sakhon seafood markets. The Rama III–Dao Khanong–Western Ring Road Expressway, for its part, aims for a September 2027 debut.
Down south, the Phuket Expressway (Kathu–Patong) now sits past 99 per cent on land acquisition, the section meant to ease the daily jam between Kathu and the beach at Patong. The Chalong Rat Extension (Chatuchot–Lam Luk Ka), meanwhile, has its sights set on 2028.
Add it all up and the country's road map looks nothing like it did a few years ago. Quicker drives, tighter links between cities, beaches and business hubs, and a weekend away that starts the second you turn the key.