Fai Chai, also written as Faichai ( th, ไฟฉาย, , ), is a

four-way intersection An intersection or an at-grade junction is a junction where two or more roads converge, diverge, meet or cross at the same height, as opposed to an interchange, which uses bridges or tunnels to separate different roads. Major intersections a ...

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

located in

Ban Chang Lo Ban Chang Lo ( th, บ้านช่างหล่อ, ) is one of five subdistricts ('' khwaeng'') and namesake historic neighbourhood in Bangkok Noi District, Bangkok's Thonburi side (west bank of Chao Phraya River). History Its name meaning ...

and Bang Khun Si Subdistricts,

Bangkok Noi District Bangkok Noi ( th, บางกอกน้อย, ) is one of the 50 districts (''khet'') of Bangkok, Thailand. Neighboring districts are (from north clockwise) Bang Phlat, Phra Nakhon (across Chao Phraya River), Bangkok Yai, Phasi Charoen, an ...

Thonburi __NOTOC__ Thonburi ( th, ธนบุรี) is an area of modern Bangkok. During the era of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya, its location on the right (west) bank at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River had made it an important garrison town, which is ...

side. It is the junction of

Charan Sanit Wong 300px, Charan Sanit Wong Road in late 2019 near Charansanitwong Railway Halt and Bang Khun Non MRT Station under construction. Charan Sanit Wong Road ( th, ถนนจรัญสนิทวงศ์, ) is a main road in Bangkok's Thonburi side ( ...

Phran Nok 250px, Aerial view of Pran Nok Road in 2018 (as seen from Fai Chai Intersection towards Siriraj Hospital) Phran Nok, also spelled Pran Nok or Prannok ( th, พรานนก, ) is a name of the street in Ban Chang Lo and Siri Rat Subdistricts, B ...

and Phran Nok–Phutthamonthon Sai 4 Roads, can be considered as another main intersection of Thonburi side, besides

Tha Phra Tha Phra ( th, ท่าพระ, ) is a main road intersection in the Wat Tha Phra Subdistrict, Bangkok Yai District in Thon Buri side, Bangkok. Characteristics & history The intersection is the junction of Ratchadaphisek (Inner Ring Road) a ...

and Borommaratchachonnani. This junction is also a location of Fai Chai MRT Station. The name is derived from the

Asia-Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the Theater (warfare), theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, ...

(a part of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

) from 1941 to 1945 when Bangkok was attacked by the Allied bombers at night, especially Bangkok Noi, because it was the location of the

Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...

base and close to many important places, such as

Bangkok Noi railway station The old Thonburi station ( th, สถานีธนบุรีเดิม, ), originally known as Bangkok Noi station ( th, สถานีบางกอกน้อย), is a former railway station in Bangkok, Thailand. It was the terminus ...

Siriraj Hospital Siriraj Hospital ( th, โรงพยาบาลศิริราช; ) is the oldest and largest hospital in Thailand. It is in Bangkok on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River, opposite Thammasat University's Tha Phrachan campus. It is the ...

, Naval Dockyard Department and Royal Grand Palace in Phra Nakhon side, etc. The Thai military units tried to establish defense measures the best way possible by installing

searchlight A searchlight (or spotlight) is an apparatus that combines an extremely bright source (traditionally a carbon arc lamp) with a mirrored parabolic reflector to project a powerful beam of light of approximately parallel rays in a particular direc ...

s in different places. These searchlights had to co-ordinate in looking for the aircraft of the Allied. When the targets were spotted, they would be gunned down by the

anti-aircraft artillery Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...

. The artillery of such power must have a caliber of seventy-five millimeters in diameter. Hence, the area where once the searchlights were installed has been known as "Fai Chai" (literally means searchlight) since then. It founded in 1941 from the expansion of Pran Nok Road, during that time, it was only a T junction. Later in 2015, there was an extension of Phran Nok–Phutthamonthon 4 Road from

Taling Chan District Taling Chan ( th, ตลิ่งชัน, ) is one of the 50 districts (''khet'') of Bangkok, Thailand. Its neighbours, clockwise from the north, are Bang Kruai district of Nonthaburi province and Bang Phlat, Bangkok Noi, Bangkok Yai, Pha ...

to alleviate traffic problems, thus making it into a four-way intersection in the present. The area of Fai Chai between early 1960s to late 1980s was the location of the

Southern Bus Terminal Bangkok Bus Terminal (Borommaratchachonnani) is a bus station that is the terminal of bus service from Bangkok to many provinces in southern Thailand (including nearby provinces of Bangkok). Location The station is located along Borommaratchachon ...

(currently shifting to Taling Chan), market, Nakornloung Shopping Center and namesake movie theater. Including nearby, Soi Charan Sanit Wong 27 or Soi Buppha Sawan was the center of the many popular '' luk thung'' (Thai country song) labels. But now these things are not there anymore. Fai Chai tunnel, which is an underpass along Charan Sanit Wong Road direction, took 13 years to complete the construction. The Bt788-million project, which is being carried out by Kamphaeng Phet Wiwat Construction, began in October 2009 during the tenure of Bangkok governor MR

Sukhumbhand Paribatra Mom Rajawongse Sukhumbhand Paribatra ( th, ม.ร.ว.สุขุมพันธุ์ บริพัตร; , ; born 22 September 1953) is a Thai politician belonging to the Democrat Party. From 2009 to 2016 he was the Governor of Bangkok. ...

. However, construction progress has been delayed by disputes over its size, design and overlap with the

MRT Blue Line The MRT Blue Line ( th, รถไฟฟ้า สายสีน้ำเงิน) or MRT Chaloem Ratchamongkon Line ( th, รถไฟฟ้ามหานคร สายเฉลิมรัชมงคล) is Bangkok's third rapid transit li ...

’s Bang Sue-

phase. The disputes prompted several revisions of the contract. The tunnel was opened for the first day on August 1, 2022 along with an

overpass An overpass (called an overbridge or flyover in the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth countries) is a bridge, road, railway or similar structure that crosses over another road or railway. An ''overpass'' and ''underpass'' together form ...

across Na Ranong intersection in

Khlong Toei District Khlong Toei (also Klong Toey, th, คลองเตย, ) is a district in central Bangkok, long known for its slum. It is bordered by the Chao Phraya River and contains major port facilities. It is also the site of a major market, the Khlong T ...

, where

Ratchadaphisek Ratchadaphisek Road ( th, ถนนรัชดาภิเษก, ) is a major road in Bangkok, Thailand. Conceived in 1971 and opened in 1976, it connects earlier portions including Asok Montri, Wong Sawang and Charan Sanitwong Roads to form ...

crosses

Rama III Nangklao ( th, พระบาทสมเด็จพระนั่งเกล้าเจ้าอยู่หัว, ; 31 March 1788 – 2 April 1851), birth name Thap ( th, ทับ), also styled Rama III, was the third king of Siam ...

, Sunthonkosa and Na Ranong Roads. The first phase of activation will only be open from 5am to 10pm as some of the decorations have not been completed.

See more

* Thailand in World War II * Bombing of Bangkok in World War II

References

{{reflist Bangkok Noi district Road junctions in Bangkok category:Neighbourhoods of Bangkok