03/08/2026
Bangkok plans a pedestrian bridge across the Chao Phraya, linking Chinatown to Khlong San
Bangkok is planning a bridge across the Chao Phraya River built for people on foot and on bicycles rather than cars, connecting Songwat on the Phra Nakhon side to Khlong San in Thonburi.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has put the budget at more than 1 billion baht, with completion targeted for 2030.
The river span will be 300 metres long, sitting between the Phra Pok Klao and Phra Chao Tak Sin Maharaj bridges. It will be 7 to 10 metres wide, anchored at Sawasdee Pier on Songwat Road and reaching Chiang Mai Road on the Khlong San side. The full network footprint runs to about a kilometre.
The transport connections are the point of it. On the Phra Nakhon side, walkways will link to Yaowarat and the MRT Blue Line at Wat Mangkon station. On the Thonburi bank, it will connect with the MRT Purple Line southern extension, currently under construction.
Crossing the river on foot or by bicycle is awkward at present. The existing bridges are built around heavy traffic, and ferries run only within set hours.
Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said the city has plenty of bridges for cars and needs a landmark for pedestrians and cyclists, arguing it would support the local economy around it and help narrow the gap between the Phra Nakhon and Thonburi sides.
Planners say the project will not require land expropriation, which avoids disrupting the riverside communities on both banks. The design is also exploring rooftop space on connecting buildings for community shops and street food vendors.
Pichai Wongwaisayawan, dean of architecture at Bangkok University, described the crossing as social infrastructure, saying its value lies in connecting trains, boats, walkways and bicycles rather than in the structure itself. He said Bangkok does not lack landmarks so much as an interconnected network of public spaces, and that the bridge would matter most if it becomes the start of a riverfront walkway network rather than a destination on its own.
A 25 million baht consultancy contract has gone to Chulalongkorn University's Academic Services Centre. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2028 after final budget approval.
