A newly built section of motorway from Pattaya to Map Ta Phut has been opened for a toll-free, three-month trial to facilitate travel between Bangkok and provinces in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC).
Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob hailed its importance as a "connection of land, rail and air transport" as he yesterday presided over a soft opening ceremony.
The route, a 32-kilometre extension of the Bangkok-Pattaya motorway, also known as Motorway No.7, runs further from Chon Buri to Rayong's Ban Chang district where U-Tapao International Airport and Ban Chang railway station are located.
Motorists will be able to use the new motorway by entering one of its three toll gates -- Huai Yai, which is linked with Sukhumvit Road in Pattaya, Chi On in Chon Buri's Sattahip district and U-Tapao, which is connected with another section of Sukhumvit Road in Ban Chang district.
But drivers can only use only the U-Tapao entrance during the test run, Highways Department chief Sarawut Songsivilai said.
The commercial opening of the route is scheduled for September this year. When fully operational, the toll will range from 25-305 baht. The department spent 17.7 billion baht on the construction, which began in 2016. Around six billion baht was used for land expropriation.
"All the money has come from our toll collections from motorways No.7 and No.9," Mr Sarawut said.
Motorway No.9 is a north-south route connecting Ayutthaya's Bang Pa-in district and Samut Prakan's Bang Phli district. The Pattaya-Map Ta Phut extension is part of the state infrastructure development plan for the EEC high-tech industrial hub covering Rayong, Chon Buri and Chachoengsao.
