Samart Rajapolsit urges revival of Bangkok's Third Stage Expressway

Former Bangkok Deputy Governor Samart Rajapolsit has urged the government to revive the “Third Stage Expressway” project to address severe traffic congestion in northern Bangkok. He argues that the city requires a balanced infrastructure approach, integrating both mass transit (skytrains) and expressways rather than choosing one over the other.

Rajapolsit noted that while the skytrain network has expanded to approximately 280 kilometers, it cannot fully replace car travel due to issues such as high fares, lack of feeder services, and poor pedestrian connectivity. He highlighted that the current expressway network, totaling 224.6 kilometers, lacks critical routes to connect the western and eastern sides of the city directly, forcing many commuters to drive through the city center.

He emphasized that expressways serve a vital role in door-to-door travel that mass transit cannot yet satisfy, suggesting that the government should seek ways to mitigate impacts and move forward with construction rather than canceling the project entirely.