The Cabinet has approved a proposal from the Ministry of Transport to waive fees for two major expressways for seven days during the upcoming Songkran holiday period. Specifically, fees will be waived for the Burapha Withi Expressway and the Bangphli to Suksawad section of the Kanchanaphisek Expressway.
The fee waiver will be in effect from April 12-18 and is expected to alleviate traffic congestion on the expressways while facilitating travel for the public during the Songkran Festival.
The Expressway Authority of Thailand (EXAT) has also approved the measure. The Ministry of Transport estimates that over 2.5 million vehicles will use the expressways during the seven-day period, averaging about 360,000 vehicles per day and resulting in a loss of revenue of over 100 million baht for EXAT.
Despite the revenue loss, it is expected that there will be significant benefits in terms of travel time and vehicle use costs, totaling 123 million baht. This includes benefits from waiving toll fees on the Burapha Withi Expressway, estimated at over 51 million baht, and on the Kanchanaphisek Expressway, at over 72 million baht.
