The bridge was opened on 7 May 2002 and inaugurated on 20 September, the birth anniversary of the late King Ananda Mahidol (Rama VIII), after whom it is named.

Bangkok is divided by the Chao Phraya River into the main eastern part and Thonburi in the west, with several road bridges linking both sides of the city.

[4] The project was revived in 1998 and was awarded as a lump-sum turnkey contract to a joint venture consisting of the Canadian company Buckland & Taylor Ltd., the China State Construction Engineering Corporation, Switzerland-based company BBR Systems Ltd., and the Bangkok-based PPD Construction Co., Ltd.

[3] London-based Yee Associates served as architect,[5] and Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick (Thailand) provided design management and site services.

The bridge deck passes through the legs of the pylon, carrying two carriageways of two lanes each, as well as shared pedestrian and cycle ways on both sides.

[7] The bridge's architectural elements include lotus motifs, which appear in the pedestrian railings, as well as references to King Ananda Mahidol.

[12] The bridge is depicted on the back of the Series 15 twenty baht banknotes, behind a portrait of King Ananda Mahidol.

A one-sentence note explains that damage has been detected in several places on the bridge structure, especially the suspension cables.