Highway Police Launch M6-Mitraphap Traffic Plan for Sunday Returns
Highway Police and the Department of Highways will launch a new Sunday traffic plan on the M6-Mitraphap corridor starting November 8th, using reversible lanes to ease the heavy afternoon return flow from Nakhon Ratchasima to Bangkok. The measure adapts the proven holiday contraflow model after October 25th gridlock left motorists stuck until midnight. Outbound traffic will be diverted at Muak Lek from 11:00 AM, while the borrowed inbound lane opens at noon.
Highway Police have partnered with the Department of Highways to develop a traffic management plan for the M6-Mitraphap route into Bangkok, adapting the successful New Year and Songkran festival model for Sunday afternoon returns. The plan starts November 8th. The move follows the October 25th gridlock — a long holiday weekend during the Thod Kathin festival — when heavy return traffic from Nakhon Ratchasima overwhelmed Motorway 6 (M6), backing up for kilometers onto Mitraphap Road. Traffic did not normalize until around midnight.
Prompted by public frustration, Pol. Lt. Gen. Natthasak Chaowasai, Commander of the Central Investigation Bureau, directed Highway Police to coordinate with agencies for an urgent fix. On November 2nd, Pol. Maj. Gen. Boonlue Phadungthin, Highway Police Commander, and Pol. Col. Suksawat Khusitthiphol, Deputy Commander, met with Department of Highways engineers and local officials at the Pak Chong M6 toll plaza to inspect bottlenecks.
They identified two choke points: M6 kilometers 110-109 at the Pak Chong exit, where Bangkok-bound drivers must leave M6 onto Thanarat Road to reach Mitraphap; and the Mitraphap stretch through Khao Chong Khao and Muak Lek, where the road narrows on a downhill grade before rejoining M6.
The interim measure, applied every Sunday afternoon, borrows the holiday contraflow model: inbound traffic from Nakhon Ratchasima stays on M6 past Pak Chong, switching onto a reversible lane (borrowed from the outbound carriageway) from km 110-109 back to normal lanes at km 82-80, continuing straight to Bangkok. Meanwhile, all outbound traffic is diverted off M6 at the Muak Lek toll plaza onto Mitraphap Road. The outbound closure begins at 11:00 AM; the reversible inbound lane opens at 12:00 PM. Safety protocols include restricting the Muak Lek interchange to Bangkok-bound vehicles only and deploying signage and personnel to manage the switch.
