The Expressway Authority of Thailand (ETA) and the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy Planning are in discussions with concessionaire Bangkok Expressway and Metro (BEM) to lower the highest toll on the Ngamwongwan-Rama 9 double-deck expressway from 90 baht to 50 baht.
Transport Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit stated today that the talks will be successful and the new tolls will be effective in August, which will reduce the financial burden on many drivers using the 17km section of expressway.
The new fee will vary from 25 baht to 50 baht, which means that the out-bound Prachachuen toll plaza and the out-bound Asoke toll plaza, where a 25-baht toll fee is currently charged, will be cancelled.
The toll at in-bound Prachachuen toll plaza and at the in-bound Asoke toll plaza will be decreased from 65 baht to 50 baht and from 50 baht to 25 baht respectively, said Suriya.
He mentioned, however, that the toll reductions will result in a drop in the revenues of BEM and the ETA will make up for the loss by extending the concession for the first and second stages of the expressway, set to expire on October 30th, 2035.
He also stated that the ETA’s revenue sharing with BEM, currently set at 60:40, may be changed to 50:50, to compensate BEM for lost revenue, adding that this matter is yet to be finalized.
The transport minister continued to say that the Transport Ministry will continue with its plan to extend the Ngamwongwan-Rama 9 double-deck expressway further, to alleviate traffic congestion on the Ngamwongwan-Phaya Thai-Rama 9 section of the Si Rat expressway, especially at Phaya Thai, where traffic has reached a critical level, with more than 400,000 vehicles using that expressway section each day.
