Road Projects Alleviate Traffic

<B> Road Projects Alleviate Traffic</B>

Whatever the fate of Thailand's currency, maneuvering around Bangkok is getting easier. Several highway construction projects have been completed, and their mission--to divert traffic away from the heart of the city--has greatly reduced the city's notorious traffic snarls and speeded up intra-city road trips.

"We now have three parallel north/south expressways, plus one that circumnavigates the city center," said Michael Smith, general manager for the Shangri-La Hotel Bangkok. "That means that except for situations such as on a rainy Friday that's also pay day, a trip from the airport to downtown should not exceed 35 minutes." Similarly Smith estimated that an expressway ride from the port area of Khlong Toey to Silom Road takes 20 minutes.

Until quite recently, each of these trips--largely involving slow crawls through packed city streets--would exceed two hours. Smith said that an elevated rail system, set to debut before the millennium, will further ease the challenge of being on time for Bangkok appointments.