End in sight for decades of Rama II roadworks as M82 opens free of charge
A 25-kilometre section of the M82 motorway between Bang Khun Thian and Ban Phaeo will open toll-free on Aug. 28, marking a long-awaited improvement for people travelling between Bangkok, Hua Hin and southern Thailand.
The opening includes a 16.4-kilometre extension from Ekkachai to Ban Phaeo, allowing drivers to use the full elevated motorway continuously from the Bang Khun Thian interchange.
How the M82 motorway improves Bangkok-Hua Hin travel
For motorists travelling between Bangkok and Hua Hin, the motorway should make journeys quicker and more reliable by allowing them to avoid surface-level traffic along one of the busiest sections of Rama II Road.
Rama II Road carries more than 100,000 vehicles a day and has become known for heavy congestion and decades of construction work.
The Ministry of Transport estimates that the elevated motorway could reduce traffic on the road below by around 20% and cut journey times to Ban Phaeo by at least 40 minutes.
Motorists can enter the motorway from the southern Kanchanaphisek Ring Road at the Bang Khun Thian interchange. The elevated section follows the Rama II corridor through Ekkachai before ending at Ban Phaeo, where drivers rejoin Highway 35 towards Samut Songkhram.
Those heading to Hua Hin can then continue to the Bang Manao interchange in Pak Tho district, Ratchaburi, before travelling through Phetchaburi and into Prachuap Khiri Khan.
Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn inspected the motorway before its opening and said engineering teams had completed safety and load-bearing tests on its bridges.
“The engineering team, working with the Engineering Institute of Thailand under royal patronage, completed the tests and found no problems,” Mr Phiphat said.
He described the opening as an important step towards ending the decades of construction associated with Rama II Road, which has long been nicknamed Thailand’s “seven-generation road” because of repeated and lengthy roadworks.
M82 entry points, speed limits and future tolls
Four entry and exit points are available during the trial period:
- Phanthai Norasing
- Mahachai 1
- Mahachai 2
- Ban Phaeo
The Samut Sakhon 1 and Samut Sakhon 2 access points remain under construction. The Department of Highways expects the remaining civil engineering work, including ramps beneath the elevated motorway, to be completed by the end of 2026.
The M82 motorway will remain toll-free during the trial period. Work on toll collection and traffic control systems is scheduled to begin in 2027, with full toll collection expected to start in 2029.
During the trial, the maximum speed is 80 kilometres per hour for four-wheeled vehicles and 65 kilometres per hour for trucks, buses and other vehicles with more than four wheels.
Vehicles not permitted on the motorway can continue to use Rama II Road below as normal.
Motorists travelling to Hua Hin must still use Highway 35 beyond Ban Phaeo, and further work is needed before every access point is completed. However, the M82 motorway should finally begin to improve travel between Bangkok and Hua Hin by moving part of the journey above one of Rama II Road’s main congestion points.
