Kanchanaphisek Road (), also known as the Bangkok Outer Ring Road () is a highway in Thailand, connecting
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 ...
,
Samut Prakan province
Samut Prakan province (, , , sometimes rendered Samutprakan or Samutprakarn) is one of the central Provinces of Thailand, provinces of Thailand, established on 9 May 1946 by the ''Act Establishing Changwat Samut Prakan, Changwat Nonthaburi, Cha ...
,
Nonthaburi province,
Pathum Thani province
Pathum Thani (, ) is one of the central provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from north clockwise): Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Saraburi, Nakhon Nayok, Chachoengsao, Bangkok, and Nonthaburi.
The province is north of ...
and
Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province
Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, or locally and simply Ayutthaya (historically Juthia or Judia), is one of the central provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from north clockwise) Ang Thong, Lopburi, Saraburi, Pathum Than ...
. It consists of multiple sections, including a
controlled-access toll road, and almost forms a complete loop around the
Bangkok Metropolitan Area
The Bangkok Metropolitan Region (BMR) (; ; ), may refer to a government-defined "political definition" of the urban region surrounding the metropolis of Bangkok, or the built-up area, i.e., urban agglomeration of Bangkok, Thailand, which varies in ...
.
History
Due to the rapid economic development of Bangkok which resulted in a significant increase in road traffic, the Bangkok Outer Ring Road was conceived in 1978 as a bypass route to connect the major highways leading out of the capital city. Its construction was separated into sections due to the high costs involved in the project, with the West section being the first to be constructed, followed by the East section and the South section. The Department of Highways initially designated the highway as Highway 39, but it was changed to Highway 9 after the ''Master Plan of Intercity Motorways'' (แผนพัฒนาระบบทางหลวงพิเศษระหว่างเมือง) was drawn up in 1996. In the same year, the road's name was bestowed upon by
King Bhumibol Adulyadej
Bhumibol Adulyadej (5 December 192713 October 2016), titled Rama IX, was King of Thailand from 1946 until his death in 2016. His reign of 70 years and 126 days is the longest of any Thai monarch, the longest on record of any independent ...
following the
Golden Jubilee celebrations, 'Kanchanaphisek Road
', meaning 'Golden Jubilee Road'.
The Department of Highways maintains West and East Kanchanaphisek Road, while the Expressway Authority of Thailand maintains the South Kanchanaphisek Road.
West Kanchanaphisek Road
This was the first section to be constructed in 1978, between
Taling Chan district
Taling Chan (, ) is one of the Districts of Bangkok, 50 districts (''khet'') of Bangkok, Thailand. Its neighbours, clockwise from the north, are Bang Kruai district of Nonthaburi province and Bang Phlat district, Bang Phlat, Bangkok Noi district ...
, Bangkok and
Bang Bua Thong district, Nonthaburi, as part of Highway 340 to
Suphan Buri
Suphan Buri () is a town (''thesaban mueang'') in central Thailand. It covers ''tambon'' Tha Philiang and parts of ''tambons'' Rua Yai and Tha Rahat, all within the Mueang Suphan Buri District. As of 2006 it had a population of 26,656. The town ...
. This section was later extended to
Bang Pa-in district
Bang Pa-in (, ) is one of the 16 districts (''amphoe'') of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province, central Thailand.
History
Bang Pa-in was established in the Ayutthaya era in the name ''Khwaeng'' Uthai. In the Rattanakosin era ''Khwaeng'' Uthai was ...
, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya in 1995. The section between Taling Chan district with
Bang Khun Thian district
Bang Khun Thian (, ) is one of the 50 districts (''khet'') of Bangkok, Thailand. Its neighbors, clockwise from the north, are Bang Bon, Chom Thong, and Thung Khru Districts of Bangkok, Phra Samut Chedi district of Samut Prakan province and Mu ...
was completed in 1998.
East Kanchanaphisek Road (Motorway 9)
The eastern section was completed in 1998 as a four-lane intercity motorway with toll collection. This was expanded to 6-8 road lanes in 2010 to handle the increased traffic after the opening of
Suvarnabhumi Airport
Suvarnabhumi Airport is the main international airport serving Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. Located mostly in Racha Thewa subdistrict, Bang Phli district, Samut Prakan province, it covers an area of , making it one of the biggest intern ...
. On 15 February 2022, it was the first highway which the Department of Highways introduced the multi-lane free flow system (M-flow) to reduce congestion at the toll gates. As of April 2023, approximately 110,000 cars use the system daily.
South Kanchanaphisek Road (Kanchanaphisek Expressway)
The southern section was the final section to be constructed and is a controlled-access toll highway. It opened for trial use on 15 November 2007 and toll collection between Bang Phli - Suk Sawat began on 23 March 2009. Toll collection was extended to the Suk Sawat - Bang Khun Thian section on 20 May 2019.
Kanchanaphisek Bridge
The Kanchanaphisek Bridge () is a cable stayed bridge crossing the Chao Phraya river in Samut Prakan Province, Thailand. It is part of the Outer Ring Road encircling Bangkok. The bridge was opened to traffic on 15 November 2007 and has a main sp ...
, the southernmost river crossing of the Chao Phraya River is part of the highway.
According to an official EXAT annual report, the expressway was used by 79,603,350 cars in the 2022 fiscal year, with an average of 225,505 cars per day.
Route
Kanchanaphisek Expressway
The Kanchanaphisek Expressway (South Kanchanaphisek Road) is located almost entirely in Samut Prakan province.
Rapid Transit
*
Outer Ring Road - Ram Inthra MRT station on the
Pink Line serves area around intersection between Kanchanaphisek Road and
Ram Inthra Road
Highway 304 is a national highway of Thailand, leading from the Bangkok suburb city of Pak Kret to Nakhon Ratchasima in the country's Northeast. It forms the main link between the eastern and northeastern regions, and is one of the major a ...
*
Talad Bang Yai MRT station
Talad Bang Yai station (, , ) is a station on the Purple Line of the Bangkok MRT, located in Bang Yai, Nonthaburi Province. The station connects to Central WestGate
Central WestGate () (previously known as CentralPlaza WestGate or เ ...
and
Khlong Bang Phai MRT station of the
Purple Line are located directly above Kanchanaphisek Road.
See also
*
Controlled-access highways in Thailand Controlled-access highway, Controlled-access highways in Thailand are systems that can be used only by cars, trucks, and certain types of buses, forming a spider-web network around the Bangkok Metropolitan Region, Greater Bangkok area and eventually ...
*
Expressway Authority of Thailand
The Expressway Authority of Thailand () (EXAT) is a state enterprise under the Ministry of Transport. It was founded in 1972, and operates Thailand's expressway ( ''thang phiset'') system, which refers to (usually elevated) high-capacity contro ...
References
* The article contains content from the corresponding article in the Thai wikipedia.
{{Road infrastructure in Thailand
Motorways of Thailand
Expressway Authority of Thailand expressways
National highways of Thailand
Streets in Bangkok