00:00Many people know it as the Thai Belgian bridge, but a few know the full story behind how a steel bridge
00:07from Europe ended up in the middle of Bangkok. The bridge was first built in Brussels for the
00:121958 Volks Expo. After the event, it was taken down and kept in storage for years. In 1987,
00:20Belgium decided to give the bridge to Thailand as a gift. At the time,
00:24Bangkok was growing quickly and the traffic was getting worse. The steel parts, about 2000 tons,
00:30were shipped from Belgium to Bangkok in early 1988. Thai engineers working through
00:35Sino-Thai construction reassembled the bridge in just 56 hours, beginning on April 23,
00:411988 and completing it 4 hours ahead of schedule. The bridge officially opened on April 25, 1988.
00:49Since then, it has helped ease traffic in one of the city's business areas.
00:54Today, thousands of people drive across it every day.
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