Highway 304 is a national highway of

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

, leading from the

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

suburb city of

Pak Kret Pak Kret (, ) is a city (''thesaban nakhon'') in Nonthaburi province, Thailand. It lies in the Central Thailand plains on the east bank of the lower Chao Phraya River, bordering Bangkok to the east, Mueang Nonthaburi district of Nonthaburi provi ...

Nakhon Ratchasima Nakhon Ratchasima (, ) is the capital of Nakhon Ratchasima province, the largest city in Isan, Northeastern Thailand and the List of municipalities in Thailand#Largest cities by urban population, third-largest city in Thailand. It is 250 km (1 ...

in the country's

Northeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A '' compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—eac ...

. It forms the main link between the

eastern Eastern or Easterns may refer to: Transportation Airlines *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 192 ...

and northeastern regions, and is one of the major alternative routes into the Northeast (the main route from Bangkok being

Mittraphap Road Mittraphap Road (, , ; , ) or Highway 2 (, ) is one of the four primary highways in Thailand, along with Phahonyothin Road (Highway 1), Sukhumvit Road (Highway 3), and Phetkasem Road (Highway 4). It runs from Saraburi to Nong Khai. The road was ...

, Highway 2). The highway is known by several names along its route. Chaeng Watthana Road () begins at Pak Kret in Nonthaburi Province, and leads eastward (and slightly south) to

Wat Phra Sri Mahathat station Wat Phra Sri Mahathat station (, , ) is a BTS Skytrain and MRT (Bangkok), MRT station, on the Sukhumvit Line and MRTA Pink Line, MRT Pink Line in Bangkok, Thailand. It is located above Bang Khen roundabout; where Phahon Yothin, Ram Inthra and Ch ...

in Bangkok's

Bang Khen District Bang Khen (, ) is one of the 50 districts (''khet'') of Bangkok, Thailand. It is bounded by other Bangkok districts (from north clockwise): Sai Mai, Khlong Sam Wa, Khan Na Yao, Bueng Kum, Lat Phrao, Chatuchak, Lak Si, and Don Mueang. Hi ...

, where it crosses

Phahon Yothin Road Phahonyothin Road (, , ) or Highway 1 is a main road in Bangkok and one of the four primary highways in Thailand, which include Mittraphap Road (Highway 2), Sukhumvit Road (Highway 3), and Phet Kasem Road (Highway 4). It begins at Victory Monume ...

and from there becomes known as Ram Inthra Road (, also spelled Ram Intra or Ramindra) until it reaches

Min Buri Min Buri (, ) is one of the 50 districts (''khet'') of Bangkok, Thailand. It is bounded by other Bangkok districts (from north clockwise): Khlong Sam Wa, Nong Chok, Lat Krabang, Saphan Sung, and Khan Na Yao. Min Buri is the fifth largest distr ...

in Bangkok's eastern fringes. It then becomes known as Suwinthawong Road () towards the town of

Chachoengsao Chachoengsao (, ) is a town ('' thesaban mueang'') in central Thailand, capital of Chachoengsao Province. It is on the banks of the Bang Pakong River. It includes ''tambon'' Na Mueang and parts of Ban Mai, Bang Tin Pet, Wang Takhian, and Sothon ...

. From there, it continues mostly northeastward through the eastern province of the same name, past the town of Phanom Sarakham, then enters Prachin Buri Province where it crosses Highway 33 at Kabin Buri town. It then leads north, crossing the Sankamphaeng Mountains through a pass between

Khao Yai Khao Yai National Park is a national park in Thailand. Established in 1962 as Thailand's first national park, it is the third largest national park in Thailand. Description Khao Yai National Park is in the western part of the Sankamphaeng Mo ...

and Thap Lan national parks into Nakhon Ratchasima Province. There, it passes through Wang Nam Khio and Pak Thong Chai districts before joining Mittraphap Road as it enters the city of Nakhon Ratchasima. Part of the highway is designated as

Asian Highway 19 Asian Highway 19 (AH19) is a road in the Asian Highway Network running 459 km from Nakhon Ratchasima to Bangkok in Thailand. This highway connects Nakhon Ratchasima to Bangkok via port city of Laem Chabang Laem Chabang (, ) is a port city ...

. The road was constructed in segments. The Chaeng Watthana and Suwinthawong sections were named in 1950, while the section from Chachoengsao to Nakhon Ratchasima (originally designated Highway 23) was built from 1941, and was initially unpaved. The Kabin Buri–Nakhon Ratchasima section was built and paved from 1965 to 1968 with assistance from the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

to support the USAF bases in Thailand during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

. The road, which cuts through the

Dong Phayayen–Khao Yai Forest Complex Dong Phayayen–Khao Yai Forest Complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Thailand. It covers the areas of five protected areas in the Dong Phaya Yen Mountains and Sankamphaeng Range, namely Khao Yai, Thap Lan, Pang Sida and Ta Phraya National ...

World Heritage Site, underwent expansion into a four-lane highway from 2015 to 2018, which included the construction of bridges and underpasses to serve as

wildlife corridor A wildlife corridor, also known as a habitat corridor, or green corridor, is a designated area habitat (ecology), that connects wildlife populations that have been separated by human activities or structures, such as development, roads, or land ...

s, the first in Thailand.

Gallery

File:Highway 304 wildlife corridor.jpg, Wildlife overpass linking Khao Yai and Thap Lan national parks

References

{{reflist National highways of Thailand Streets in Bangkok