Phra Pok Klao Bridge

Phra Pok Klao Bridge

สะพานพระปกเกล้า
Phra Pok Klao Bridge; สะพานพระปกเกล้า
Coordinates	13°44′20″N 100°29′56″E / 13.738999°N 100.498981°E
Carries	6 lanes of roadway
Crosses	Chao Phraya River
Locale	Bangkok, Thailand
Characteristics
Total length	745 m
Longest span	100 m
Clearance below	8.9 m
History
Opened	December 3, 1984
Location

Phra Pok Klao Bridge (Thai: สะพานพระปกเกล้า, RTGS: Saphan Phra Pokklao, pronounced [sā.pʰāːn pʰráʔ pòk.klâːw]) is a bridge crossing the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, Thailand. It serves to connect the two sides of the Chao Phraya River in the Bangkok area, namely Phra Nakhon District's Wang Burapha Phirom and Samphanthawong District's Chakkrawat with Khlong San District's Somdet Chao Phraya as well as Thonburi District's Wat Kanlaya.^[1]

History

Phra Pok Klao Bridge was built in 1982 on the 200th anniversary of Rattanakosin or Bangkok nowadays. The bridge was designed to alleviate traffic congestion on the adjacent Memorial Bridge. The bridge is composed of three viaducts, with the central viaduct designed to carry future mass transit links. The bridge was named after King Prajadhipok (Rama VII) since he was the builder of the nearby Memorial Bridge.^[2]^[3]

In June 2020, the central viaduct that used to be the structure of the failed Lavalin Skytrain project was converted into a sky park, the first sky park in Southeast Asia.^[4]^[5]