Krung Thon Bridge (, , ) is a

bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

over the

Chao Phraya River The Chao Phraya River is the major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It flows through Bangkok and then into the Gulf of Thailand. Etymology Written evidence of the river being referred to by the ...

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 ...

, in

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

, connecting the districts

Dusit Dusit () is the Thai name for Tushita, the fourth heavenly realm in Buddhist cosmology. The name may refer to: * Dusit District, a district of Bangkok * Dusit Palace, namesake of the district *Dusit Subdistrict, Bangkok, in Dusit District * Dusit S ...

and Bang Phlat. The bridge has 6 spans, and consists of a

steel Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...

superstructure resting on concrete

pier A pier is a raised structure that rises above a body of water and usually juts out from its shore, typically supported by piling, piles or column, pillars, and provides above-water access to offshore areas. Frequent pier uses include fishing, b ...

History

Construction on the bridge began on August 31, 1954, by the

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese company Fuji Car Manufacturing Co., Ltd., with Sahawitsawa Kan Yotha Co., Ltd. as its local representative. A

cornerstone A cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry Foundation (engineering), foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entir ...

ceremony was held on June 24, 1955. Construction was completed in late 1957, and the bridge was first opened to traffic on March 7, 1958. It was constructed to relieve traffic on Memorial Bridge, and cost 24,837,500

baht The baht (; , ; currency sign, sign: ฿; ISO 4217, code: THB) is the official currency of Thailand. It is divided into 100 ''satang'' (, ). Prior to decimalisation, the baht was divided into eight ''fueang'' (, ), each of eight ''at'' (, ). The ...

. Krung Thong Bridge has been known to locals as Sang Hi Bridge (, ''Saphan Sang Hi'') since construction began, before it was officially christened, because it extends from

Ratchawithi Road file:MRT Sirindhorn - View from Bang Plad intersection.jpg, Bang Phlat Intersection where Ratchawithi Road ends Ratchawithi Road, also spelled Rajvithi (, ) is a major road in Bangkok, Thailand. It begins in Ratchathewi district at Sam Liam Din Da ...

, formerly named Sang Hi Road.

Dimensions

The length of the bridge alone is 366.20 metres, with a 185.50 metre approach on the east side of the river, and a 97.20 metre approach on the west, for a total length of 648.90 metres. At its central point, the bridge is 7.5 metres above

mean sea level A mean is a quantity representing the "center" of a collection of numbers and is intermediate to the extreme values of the set of numbers. There are several kinds of means (or "measures of central tendency") in mathematics, especially in statist ...

. The bridge has four lanes for motor vehicle traffic, two in each direction, with no divider. Pedestrian paths 2.5 metres wide run along either side of the bridge.

Gallery

File:Krung Thon Bridge สะพานกรุงธน (ซังฮี้) by Trisorn Triboon3.jpg File:KrungThon.jpg File:สะพานกรุงธนบุรี เขตดุสิต กรุงเทพมหานคร (2).jpg File:สะพานกรุงธนบุรี เขตดุสิต กรุงเทพมหานคร (4).jpg

References

External links

Krung Thon Bridge
Bureau of Maintenance and Traffic Safety, Thailand. Retrieved on 31 December 2007 Road bridges in Bangkok Bridges completed in 1958 Crossings of the Chao Phraya River Dusit district Unregistered ancient monuments in Bangkok {{Thailand-bridge-struct-stub