The Department of Highways will open the full 25-kilometre stretch of the Motorway No. 82 (M82) elevated highway, connecting Bang Khun Thian, Ekachai and Ban Phaeo, for a toll-free trial starting at 10am on Friday, August 28, to relieve severe traffic congestion on the southbound Rama II Road heading south.
Department Director General Piyapong Jiwattanakulpaisarn announced on Friday that the move follows instructions from Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn to expedite the project and facilitate faster, more convenient travel from Bangkok to southern provinces.
Civil construction of the elevated highway is now 98% complete, enabling the department to open the new 16.4km Ekachai–Ban Phaeo section for the free 24-hour trial service.
The trial will allow motorists to travel seamlessly from the Southern Kanchanapisek Outer Ring Road, onto the M82 elevated motorway above Rama II Road at the Bang Khun Thian interchange, past Ekachai, all the way to its end in Ban Phaeo, Samut Sakhon.
From Ban Phaeo, drivers can continue on Highway 35 (Rama II Road) towards Samut Songkhram and the Wang Manao interchange in Pak Tho district of Ratchaburi province to connect to other southern provinces.
From August 28, the entry and exit points at Phanthai Norasing, Mahachai 1, Mahachai 2 and Ban Phaeo will be operational. Two other ramps, Samut Sakhon 1 and Samut Sakhon 2, remain under construction and will open later.
The department expects to finish all remaining civil works by the end of this year. Installation of toll collection and traffic control systems is scheduled to begin in 2027 and will take about two years, with full commercial toll operations targeted for 2029.
Because safety systems and civil works are not yet 100% complete, speed limits will be in force during the trial period. Cars will be capped at 80 kilometres per hour, while trucks and buses will be restricted to 65.
Pedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles of all engine sizes, three-wheelers and pushcarts are strictly prohibited on the elevated motorway, though they may continue using the ground-level Rama II Road as usual.
The opening of the Bang Khun Thian–Ekachai–Ban Phaeo elevated route is expected to cut travel times to the South, enhance freight logistics and support trade, manufacturing and tourism across Samut Sakhon, Samut Songkhram, Ratchaburi, Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan and surrounding southern provinces.
