Rama IV Road
History
History
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This road was built in the year 1857 during the reign of [King Mongkut](/wiki/King_Mongkut "King Mongkut") (Rama IV) and can be considered as the first real road in Thailand. It was built about four years before [Charoen Krung Road](/wiki/Charoen_Krung_Road "Charoen Krung Road"). The road was built at the request of foreign merchants and businessmen, who complained of the difficulty and waste of time of travelling to trade in the capital. To solve this issue, they proposed to set up their stores for trading goods around Khlong Phra Khanong up to the [Bang Na](/wiki/Bang_Na "Bang Na") area and requested that the government dig up a shortcut canal from Bang Na to [Khlong Phadung Krung Kasem](/wiki/Khlong_Phadung_Krung_Kasem "Khlong Phadung Krung Kasem"), which was one of the outer city moats during that time.

King Mongkut ordered that a new canal be dug up in front of [Phlan Phairi Rap Fort](/wiki/Fortifications_of_Bangkok%231852_forts "Fortifications of Bangkok#1852 forts") (around the [Hua Lamphong](/wiki/Hua_Lamphong "Hua Lamphong") area), cutting through fields to connect to Khlong Phra Khanong. At the same time, Khlong Phra Khanong was also extended to reach the [Chao Phraya River](/wiki/Chao_Phraya_River "Chao Phraya River"). The soil dug up would be used to pave a road running along the north of the canal. The King named the new canal Khlong Thanon Trong ("straight road canal"), and it is also came to be known as Khlong Hua Lamphong. The road that ran along the bank of the canal was given various names by the community, ranging from Trong Road, Hua Lamphong Road, and Wua Lamphong Road. It was later declared in 1919, during the reign of King [Vajiravudh](/wiki/Vajiravudh "Vajiravudh") (Rama VI), to rename Outer Hua Lamphong Road, covering the stretch between the intersections with Charoen Krung and Luang Sunthorn Kosa, to Rama IV Road in memory of King Mongkut who had initially ordered its construction.

In 1947, Khlong Hua Lamphong was drained to make way for an extension of the road. The [Paknam Railway](/wiki/Paknam_Railway "Paknam Railway"), Thailand's first railway line, followed the route of Rama IV Road from 1893 until it closed in 1960 due to under\-use and increased road traffic. Several flyovers were added in the 1980s and 1990s to improve traffic flow.


What was the name of the canal dug up in front of Phlan Phairi Rap Fort?