Memorial Bridge (Bangkok)

Memorial Bridge (สะพานปฐมบรมราชานุสรณ์)
Memorial Bridge with the Express Boat Pier
Coordinates	13°44′21″N 100°29′51″E / 13.73917°N 100.49750°E / 13.73917; 100.49750
Carries	3 lanes of roadway, pedestrians
Crosses	Chao Phraya River
Locale	Bangkok, Thailand
Other name(s)	Phra Phuttayotfa Bridge (สะพานพระพุทธยอดฟ้า)
Characteristics
Total length	678 m
Longest span	78 m
Clearance below	7.3 m
History
Opened	6 April 1932

The Memorial Bridge (Thai: สะพานปฐมบรมราชานุสรณ์) is a bascule bridge over the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, Thailand, connecting the districts of Phra Nakhon and Thonburi.

The bridge was opened on 6 April 1932, by King Prajadhipok (Rama VII) in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Chakri Dynasty and the foundation of Bangkok, shortly before the Siamese Coup d'état on 24 June 1932. In English the bridge is commonly known as Memorial Bridge, however in Thai it is most commonly known as Phra Phuttayotfa Bridge (สะพานพระพุทธยอดฟ้า), after King Phutthayotfa Chulalok (Rama I), the first king of the Chakri Dynasty.

Construction of the bridge was started on 3 December 1929 by Dorman Long, Middlesbrough, England, under the supervision of Italian technicians from SNOS (Società Nazionale Officine Savignano). The bridge used to have a double-leaf bascule-type lifting mechanism, which is now disused.

On 5 June 1944, as part of the bombing of Bangkok in World War II, a force of B-29 Superfortresses, in a test of their capabilities before being deployed against the Japanese home islands, were targeting against the bridge. The bombs fell over two kilometres away damaging no civilian structures, but downed some tram lines and destroyed a Japanese military hospital and the Japanese secret police headquarters. It was not until 1947 that Thai authorities learned of the intended target.