The Somdet Phra Pinklao 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 ...

near the

Grand Palace The Grand Palace (, Royal Institute of Thailand. (2011). ''How to read and how to write.'' (20th Edition). Bangkok: Royal Institute of Thailand. . ) is a complex of buildings at the heart of Bangkok, Thailand. The palace has been the officia ...

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 ...

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 ...

. It links

Rattanakosin Island Rattanakosin Island (, , ) is a historic area in the Phra Nakhon District in the city of Bangkok, Thailand. It is bordered by the Chao Phraya River to the west and various canals to the east that were dug to serve as moats for what was originall ...

with

Thonburi __NOTOC__ Thonburi () is an area of modern Bangkok. During the era of the Ayutthaya Kingdom, Kingdom of Ayutthaya, its location on the right (west) bank at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River had made it an important garrison town, which is ref ...

Background

The bridge is named after

Pinklao Pinklao (; 4 September 1808 – 7 January 1866) was the viceroy of Siam. He was the younger brother of Mongkut, King Rama IV, who crowned him as a monarch with equal honor to himself. Early life Prince Chutamani was born on 4 September 1808, as ...

, vice-king of Siam, 1851–1866. In the project phase, the bridge was referred to as the Tha Chang Wang Na Bridge ( Thai: สะพานท่าช้างวังหน้า). In June 1973, it was renamed the Somdej Phra Pinklao Bridge in honour of Prince

.Special supplement of the Bangkok Post/World newspaper - September 24, 1973 The Chalerm Sawan 58 Bridge ( Thai: สะพานเฉลิมสวรรค์ ๕๘) along two pedestrian bridges crossing the northern part of Khlong Khu Mueang Doem ( Thai: คลองคูเมืองเดิม) had to be dismantled to make way for the new bridge and its access road. Construction of the bridge started on 4 August 1971. It was opened to traffic on 24 September 1973 by Prime Minister

Thanom Kittikachorn Thanom Kittikachorn (, , ; 11 August 1911 – 16 June 2004) was Prime Minister of Thailand from 1963 to 1973, military officer, who supported and initiated military coups and became Thailand's defence minister. He rose to power when he staged a ...

. The bridge was built by the joint company Obayashi Gumi Ltd. and

Sumitomo The is a Japanese corporate group and '' keiretsu'' that traces its roots to the ''zaibatsu'' groups that were dissolved after World War II. Unlike the ''zaibatsu'' of the pre-war period, there is no controlling company with regulatory power. I ...

Construction Co. Ltd under the supervision of Swiss Engineering Project (SEP) which acted as trustee for th
Department of Public and Municipal Works
(DPMW).Special supplement of The Nation newspaper - September 24, 1973, p. 12. The main drivers behind the construction of the bridge were: * To alleviate the traffic congestion over and around the Memorial Bridge and to shorten travel time and cut costs * To foster inter-city relations between

and

* To facilitate the development in the vicinity of the bridge The Sa-nga Phanit Co., Ltd. ( Thai: บริษัท สง่าพานิช จำกัด) was the main contractor for the Phan Phiphop Lila Bridge ( Thai: สะพานผ่านพิภพลีลา) extension over Khlong Khu Mueang Doem ( Thai: คลองคูเมืองเดิม) to match the new bridge system at a cost of 6,880,000 baht. It is feared that the heavy traffic crossing Pinklao Bridge could cause structural damage to the old buildings on

Ratchadamnoen Avenue Ratchadamnoen Avenue (, , , also spelled Rajdamnern) is a historic road in the Phra Nakhon and Pom Prap Sattru Phai with Dusit Districts of Bangkok, Thailand. Ratchadamnoen Avenue may be the most politically charged thoroughfare in the capita ...

. Some residents expressed their desire in 2010 to have the bridge dismantled mainly due to the air and noise pollution it brings to the old district of Bangkok. The Cheonggyecheon project in

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

is given as an example of the positive effects the dismantlement could have.

Notes

The northern part of "Khlong Khu Mueang Doem" was formerly known as "Khlong Rongmai" (). "Khlong Khu Mueang Doem" is also called popularly "Khlong Lord" ().

References

External links

*
YouTube video of Thanom Kittikachorn inspecting the construction of the Phra Pinklao Bridge in 1972

YouTube video of the construction of the Phra Pinklao Bridge in 1973
Road bridges in Bangkok Bridges completed in 1973 Crossings of the Chao Phraya River Unregistered ancient monuments in Bangkok {{Thailand-bridge-struct-stub