Chiang Mai traffic relief as Air Force base opens shortcut road
Chiang Mai motorists are eyeing a new shortcut to beat traffic congestion as the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) prepares to open a road skirting the airport on the city’s edge.
The two-kilometre road cuts through the RTAF’s Wing 41 base in Suthep district.
RTAF chief Air Chief Marshal Punpakdee Pattanakul said the move came after Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin urged the air force to find a way to relieve traffic woes in Chiang Mai during his visit earlier this month.
But before the road can be opened to the public, he said, security measures must be implemented to protect the base and the privacy of the adjacent royal residential zone. They include erecting fences along the route, installing CCTV cameras to monitor both drivers and licence plates, and integrating security arrangements with the Royal Thai Police database.
Punpakdee said motorists will also have to register to use the Wing 41 road, mirroring the process in place for Wing 6 base in Bangkok’s Don Mueang district – a popular shortcut between Phahonyothin and Vibhavadi roads.
Punpakdee said the newly opened road will not have a toll fee, but regular users can make a yearly voluntary donation of 100 to 200 baht.
The donation money will fund equipment and salaries for military police used on the route, with any leftovers going to a scholarship fund for children of military personnel, he said.
