Great report. We need more reports like this one. yeahme
Surin-Buriram road improvement is great news because that road was very dangerous.
Great report. We need more reports like this one. yeahme
Surin-Buriram road improvement is great news because that road was very dangerous.
2 lanes, 4 lanes or more. It will not make any difference. The roads will still be dangerous. People need to learn what the right hand lane is for.
People need to learn that the small lane on the left is not for the purpose of pulling out of a side turning without looking, or for driving down the road the wrong way.
Teaching people what lights are for would also be a good idea.
Nick ... It looked to me as though the camera guy was the passenger ? ... not the guy steering
Nick ... It looked to me as though the camera guy was the passenger ? ... not the guy steering
That may well be. I was more intent on looking for the non existant 4 lanes!
Update:
From Buriram to Satuk.
From the intersection of 219 and 188, it is 4 lane for about 8 km, then goes to 2 lane until the Buriram Airport. But then 4 lane all the way to the river.
Our Satuk BM can probably provide exactly how much 2 lane is there.
Update:
From Buriram to Satuk.
From the intersection of 219 and 188, it is 4 lane for about 8 km, then goes to 2 lane until the Buriram Airport. But then 4 lane all the way to the river.
Our Satuk BM can probably provide exactly how much 2 lane is there.
Don't bank on it, I only drive it not measure it!
TBWG buriram_united sawadi
Highway 24 in Buriram is an absolute disgrace.......This is the most heavily used road in Buriram too!
Highway 24 in Buriram is an absolute disgrace.......This is the most heavily used road in Buriram too!
Yes, very dangerous, especially this time of year with the cane trucks. We live between Prakhonchai and Prasad so it is hard to avoid.
Went to Surin Wednesday. There is now 12 KM of 2 lane left, broken up in two 6 KM stretches separated by Song Chan (think that is the town). Made the trip easier.I'd heard you only buy 50 baht at a time........That would appear to be true!
On the down side I did not see any new construction.
However, a new 7-11 gas station just opened about 3 km west of Surin on 226. Just need another one about the mid way point.
I'd heard you only buy 50 baht at a time........That would appear to be true!
But you drive 10 kms to get there!!.............I guess you never tip the guy who washes your windscreen either!
I'd heard you only buy 50 baht at a time........That would appear to be true!
I actually only spent 18 baht for a liter (of Mountain Dew). Wow, boredom was really be rampant around town if they are talking about me.
And yes I am frugal at times. I usually try to use the Fuel station just North of the Imobile stadium because they give a liter of water with every 800 baht spent and will usually wash your windows. So I don't use 7-11 for gas unless I am on a long trip somewhere.
But you drive 10 kms to get there!!.............I guess you never tip the guy who washes your windscreen either!
I'd heard you only buy 50 baht at a time........That would appear to be true!
I actually only spent 18 baht for a liter (of Mountain Dew). Wow, boredom was really be rampant around town if they are talking about me.
And yes I am frugal at times. I usually try to use the Fuel station just North of the Imobile stadium because they give a liter of water with every 800 baht spent and will usually wash your windows. So I don't use 7-11 for gas unless I am on a long trip somewhere.
A lot quicker the other road especially if coming from your home Keith.. Go past Theera school, turn left at traffics lights and then right turn signposted Surin.. Probably 5-10 minutes quicker.. Enough for a coffee :-)
Also of interest is that the 2 lane death traps on 304 have major construction to fix. It appeared to me that the southern 3 KM route will disappear within the next 6 months if not sooner.
On the northern 2 lane stretch it will be greatly decreased if not eliminated within the next year. However there were areas that had no visible construction.
Update:
From Buriram to Satuk.
From the intersection of 219 and 188, it is 4 lane for about 8 km, then goes to 2 lane until the Buriram Airport. But then 4 lane all the way to the river.
Our Satuk BM can probably provide exactly how much 2 lane is there.
Don't bank on it, I only drive it not measure it!
TBWG buriram_united sawadi
Good, so my guesstimate stands, which I would put at 15 KM of 2 lane.
Well I got that wrong on decreasing or eliminating, it may have even expanded. Construction on 304 is still going, and probably for at least the rest of the year. They have opened some new road portions for driving, but it is still 2 lane. Very little passing lanes also.
Also looks like they are building tunnels at the south part, unsure why.
Then to make it more fun they are re-paving the road a little south of that for more backed up traffic. On the way back I took the Sa Kaeo route that has about 100 km of 2 lane, but a lot less traffic.
I drove on 304 going to Patts, the traffic was moderate on a Sunday, there is about 15 KM of 2 lane thru the mountain, very rough road and a lot of places no passing possible. But it eventually evens out so going south I would still consider 304. However, another factor to consider is that there were 6 police checkpoints between Nang Rong and Kabin Buri (did not encounter any the rest of the way).
However, as I past Kabin Buri the North bound lane was being resurfaced and that traffic was backed up for over a kilometer. With that in mind I would opt for coming back via Sa Kaeo. The traffic on 33 was very light and fast moving on a Wednesday, but maybe 5 km of road work. And in reality there is only about 3 KM stretch once you hit 2 lane where you can't pass. There was 1 or 2 police checkpoints (looking for registration) and 2 Army checkpoints.
If the Kabin Buri resurfacing moves southbound I would recommend Sa Kaeo (not sure how you would find out).
And another FYI, if you take 3420 to 36 to 7 just North of Patts, once you get on 7 you have to stop at a toll booth and get a coupon, however, at the final toll booth the cost was zero.
Thx, yes that was something I wanted to know since the toll booths opened. What about the toll booths on the way back ? Same same ?
I drove on 304 going to Patts, the traffic was moderate on a Sunday, there is about 15 KM of 2 lane thru the mountain, very rough road and a lot of places no passing possible. But it eventually evens out so going south I would still consider 304. However, another factor to consider is that there were 6 police checkpoints between Nang Rong and Kabin Buri (did not encounter any the rest of the way).
However, as I past Kabin Buri the North bound lane was being resurfaced and that traffic was backed up for over a kilometer. With that in mind I would opt for coming back via Sa Kaeo. The traffic on 33 was very light and fast moving on a Wednesday, but maybe 5 km of road work. And in reality there is only about 3 KM stretch once you hit 2 lane where you can't pass. There was 1 or 2 police checkpoints (looking for registration) and 2 Army checkpoints.
If the Kabin Buri resurfacing moves southbound I would recommend Sa Kaeo (not sure how you would find out).
And another FYI, if you take 3420 to 36 to 7 just North of Patts, once you get on 7 you have to stop at a toll booth and get a coupon, however, at the final toll booth the cost was zero.
Back home again.
We Left Pattaya at 5am this morning (4 days ahead of our scheduled checkout (Hotel was very surprised) and we got home around 11:40, with a couple of stops so that's not that bad for 475 KM's
Toll way from Pattaya (Nr 7) to the Exit (36 -> Rayong) is Free (NO idea for how long), and again everyone (on the 7) was keeping to the speed limit (90kmh) so I guess there are speed camera's on that stretch (haven't seen one, but will wait for the bill to show up @ home :biggrin: )
Traffic was oke, only the 331 till the flyover to the 304 was a bit heavy with lots of trucks but fortunate as this is a Sunday No early morning rush near BoWin and Amata Complex.
Up the Mountain the traffic was oke, the 1st part is definitely the hardest part with very bad road surface, but when that is complete it's smooth sailing. Traffic on the 24 was very very light, could keep the cruise control on for most of the time, and from Nang Rong to Prakhonchai it was on all the time. !
Co-Co,
Thanks, no PKC is not the final destination, we are another 20kms from Krasang.
Lahan Sai route, would mean taking the Sa Kaeo route ?
Will try that next time, but not keen in going back to Pattaya any time soon, we cut our trip short this time already, it?s fun for a couple of days, visit old friends and good to stock on supplies but not do frequently.
Went the Buriram airport this morning, very little 2 lane left.
- .7 KM 2 lane a little past Ban Dan, but they are clearing the area obviously going to make 4 lane
- Then another stretch of 1.3 KM further up at a curve, did not see any signs of making 4 lane.
So by then end of the year (probably June) there will only be about a kilometer of 2 lane on the way to Satuk. Things are moving slowly.
@Co-Co
No problem.
We have done the ?Sa Kaeo/Non din Daeng? route before, but my wife (she even doesn?t do the driving ;)) prefers the ?Korat? route, because of a good restaurant near Wang Nam Khiao :biggrin:
That Sa Kaeo route I for sure will not do at night because of the ?desolation? of some parts of that route, but I wouldn?t drive the ?Korat? route at night either. The signage on that road (where the roadworks are) are TERRIBLE, We even had (some) trouble (during the day) to see where you have to go so bad was the signage.
Does anyone know why they are building (on the Korat mountain road) two tunnels ? These tunnels even aren?t going through the mountain but are just covered road section (2-300 meters long). Will go and see if I can find a picture in my Dash Cam footage.
@Co-Co
No problem.
We have done the ?Sa Kaeo/Non din Daeng? route before, but my wife (she even doesn?t do the driving ;) ) prefers the ?Korat? route, because of a good restaurant near Wang Nam Khiao :biggrin:
That Sa Kaeo route I for sure will not do at night because of the ?desolation? of some parts of that route, but I wouldn?t drive the ?Korat? route at night either. The signage on that road (where the roadworks are) are TERRIBLE, We even had (some) trouble (during the day) to see where you have to go so bad was the signage.
Does anyone know why they are building (on the Korat mountain road) two tunnels ? These tunnels even aren?t going through the mountain but are just covered road section (2-300 meters long). Will go and see if I can find a picture in my Dash Cam footage.
This is probably the answer to the tunnel
https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1032733-tunnel-linking-khao-yai-with-tap-lan-national-parks-to-be-open-temporarily-during-songkran/?utm_source=newsletter-20180408-0944&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news (https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1032733-tunnel-linking-khao-yai-with-tap-lan-national-parks-to-be-open-temporarily-during-songkran/?utm_source=newsletter-20180408-0944&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news)
Also looks like they are building tunnels at the south part, unsure why.
Still doesn't answer the question of why build the tunnels in the first place, no reason for a tunnel instead of a 4 lane road that I can determine.
New Khao Yai 'corridor' must treat wildlife with care
Published: 20/03/2015 at 06:00 AM
The wildlife corridor will be erected at two spots on the highway: the 26th-29th km section and 42nd-57th km section. The first, which is regarded as a highly sensitive zone in Khao Yai National Park, will have an elevated flyover and a tunnel for vehicles. The second will feature an underpass that allows wild animals to move freely across.
The tunnel for wild animals is designed to mimic nature and so will be covered with earth and soil to help wildlife feel at home and not intimidated by the concrete structure.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/print/502979/ (https://www.bangkokpost.com/print/502979/)
I understand that they will start to charge as from April. No idea how much for the short stretch from the 36 down but I was told that Bangkok / pattaya will go up from 60 to 100.
Mike
The upgrade of the remaining single track 218 Buriram to Nang Rong is going well. Last week a crane lifted the bridge spans into place. I'm hoping this rainfall won't stop work by bogging down the heavy plant. When finished it is 55 kms of dual road, far safer than the mad house that 10km stretch is now.
The upgrade of the remaining single track 218 Buriram to Nang Rong is going well. Last week a crane lifted the bridge spans into place. I'm hoping this rainfall won't stop work by bogging down the heavy plant. When finished it is 55 kms of dual road, far safer than the mad house that 10km stretch is now.
Nice to get back on topic "4 Lanes, better roads around Buriram".
Actually, I disagree with your comment above.
I have lived on the Buriram-NangRong road for more than 15 years. The majority of the accidents I have seen on this stretch have been on the 4 lane areas.
The accidents usually go something like this : Slow car driving in the outside lane. Doesn't react to flashing lights or the sounding of horns. Car behind has to pass on the inside lane. Someone coming out of a side road knows it's 4 lane so thinks it is OK to pull out into the inside lane and fast moving cars can go round them. Only problem is fast moving car can not pull out because the outside lane is full of slow moving cars.
Add to that that a 4 lane road means that some drivers feel they can drive a lot faster and even pull out into the oncoming traffic to overtake said slow car in outside lane. Until the local people understand the reasons for the local authorities building the 4 lanes, it will be just as or more dangerous than the 2 lane stretches.
The upgrade of the remaining single track 218 Buriram to Nang Rong is going well. Last week a crane lifted the bridge spans into place. I'm hoping this rainfall won't stop work by bogging down the heavy plant. When finished it is 55 kms of dual road, far safer than the mad house that 10km stretch is now.
Nice to get back on topic "4 Lanes, better roads around Buriram".
Actually, I disagree with your comment above.
I have lived on the Buriram-NangRong road for more than 15 years. The majority of the accidents I have seen on this stretch have been on the 4 lane areas.
The accidents usually go something like this : Slow car driving in the outside lane. Doesn't react to flashing lights or the sounding of horns. Car behind has to pass on the inside lane. Someone coming out of a side road knows it's 4 lane so thinks it is OK to pull out into the inside lane and fast moving cars can go round them. Only problem is fast moving car can not pull out because the outside lane is full of slow moving cars.
Add to that that a 4 lane road means that some drivers feel they can drive a lot faster and even pull out into the oncoming traffic to overtake said slow car in outside lane. Until the local people understand the reasons for the local authorities building the 4 lanes, it will be just as or more dangerous than the 2 lane stretches.
Starman. Whilst I agree with your assessment of poor driving techniques on 4 lane roads, I definately believe that 4 lanes is light years safer than any 2 lane stretch of highway.
The suicidal stuff that we've all seen by impatient drivers on 2 lane roads is truly scary.
Only solution (except it wont happen) is hefty fines for all motoring offences (I see no reason why a minimum 5,000baht should not be applied - don't break the law and you don't pay) with vehicle confiscation in the more serious cases. Then, and only then, they may think twice
Starman, I cannot agree with you that 4 lanes are less safe than two. I drive to Buriram @90 kph with no stress. The first 10km to Nang Rong I spend looking in the mirror for the loony with the big SUV, 6 foot from my arse, in hock to the bank for 7 years to buy this monster so everyone knows he's a man.
In the UK we called this "small penis syndrome", perhaps we should call it average penis syndrome here.
What I believe is being missed is that the amount of cars of the road in the past 15 years has probably increased 10 fold (or more). More vehicles = more road problems, especially when limited to 2 lane roads.
For example in 2010 we bought a Ford Ranger, I would guess then that maybe 1 out of 20 trucks would be a Ford. Now it is probably closer to 1 out of 3.
And Bangkok traffic has increased to point of constant gridlock, used to be able drive there during the day, not now.
What I believe is being missed is that the amount of cars of the road in the past 15 years has probably increased 10 fold (or more). More vehicles = more road problems, especially when limited to 2 lane roads.
For example in 2010 we bought a Ford Ranger, I would guess then that maybe 1 out of 20 trucks would be a Ford. Now it is probably closer to 1 out of 3.
And Bangkok traffic has increased to point of constant gridlock, used to be able drive there during the day, not now.
Not even doubled.
What I believe is being missed is that the amount of cars of the road in the past 15 years has probably increased 10 fold (or more). More vehicles = more road problems, especially when limited to 2 lane roads.
For example in 2010 we bought a Ford Ranger, I would guess then that maybe 1 out of 20 trucks would be a Ford. Now it is probably closer to 1 out of 3.
And Bangkok traffic has increased to point of constant gridlock, used to be able drive there during the day, not now.
Not even doubled.
And as usual not a reference to backup your statement. Prove it.
Oops, looks like there is ""Not even doubled" vs "Just about doubled"More double speech?
What I believe is being missed is that the amount of cars of the road in the past 15 years has probably increased 10 fold (or more). More vehicles = more road problems, especially when limited to 2 lane roads.
For example in 2010 we bought a Ford Ranger, I would guess then that maybe 1 out of 20 trucks would be a Ford. Now it is probably closer to 1 out of 3.
And Bangkok traffic has increased to point of constant gridlock, used to be able drive there during the day, not now.
Not even doubled.
And as usual not a reference to backup your statement. Prove it.
Oops, looks like there is ""Not even doubled" vs "Just about doubled"More double speech?
Sorry about that. I got my sums wrong first time.
http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/thailand-now-has-more-than-37-million-registered-cars/ (http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/thailand-now-has-more-than-37-million-registered-cars/)
Figures for 2017 not release yet but about 2.5m produced, but no sales figures.
What I believe is being missed is that the amount of cars of the road in the past 15 years has probably increased 10 fold (or more). More vehicles = more road problems, especially when limited to 2 lane roads.
For example in 2010 we bought a Ford Ranger, I would guess then that maybe 1 out of 20 trucks would be a Ford. Now it is probably closer to 1 out of 3.
And Bangkok traffic has increased to point of constant gridlock, used to be able drive there during the day, not now.
Not even doubled.
And as usual not a reference to backup your statement. Prove it.
Oops, looks like there is ""Not even doubled" vs "Just about doubled"More double speech?
For once we fully agree, you are sorry.
However, I fail to understand your graph.
1. How many vehicles were registered in Thailand in 2003?
2. How Many vehicles are now registered in Thailand in 2018? (no, not new vehicles registered, total vehicles).
Your reference fails to address that question. According to you it is less than double.
BTW I fully realize that being British you do not understand the English Language. So your statement:
"Not even doubled" means less than twice.
and your statement:
"Just about doubled" also means less than twice.
So you made two statements that mean the same thing. What exactly are you trying to say?
Yawn.... I'm still wondering how many angels can dance on a pinhead.
<snip>
Taking 'soi minibus' (359/33) to Wattana Nakhon then left to Non Din Dang/Lahansai is my preferred route. Dual carriageway to Wattana Nakhon then a decent single carriageway after that.
<snip>
Taking 'soi minibus' (359/33) to Wattana Nakhon then left to Non Din Dang/Lahansai is my preferred route. Dual carriageway to Wattana Nakhon then a decent single carriageway after that.
Co-Co, question If I may.
When coming from Wattana Nakhon going towards Nang Rong, I believe you go right after Non Din Daeng (at that fork) towards Lahan Sai. Correct ??
If yes, is that road (the 2120 the 224 and 2445) in a good condition ??
We have to go to Pattaya again this week and thus I want to try out that road.
Thx
The 4 lane to Satuek (Buriram Airport BFV) should be mostly completed in the next 30 days. However I expect a bottleneck to continue at an unfinished bridge for probably 60 days.