Thailand, Lao to Build Second Bridge Across Mekong RiverThe second Thai-Lao friendship bridge is to be built across the Mekong river to promote regional trade and boost transport, the Bangkok Post reported Monday.The 3.2-billion-baht (US$74.4 million) construction of the bridge in Thailand's Mukdahan in the northeast opposite Mukdahan of Savannakhet province in Laos, will begin next year and is expected to be completed in 2005. The cost will be born equally by Thailand and Laos, and the construction will be financed by a loan from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation. A contract to undertake the project has been signed by Thai Transport Minister Wan Muhammad Nor Matha and his Lao counterpart Pao Bunnapol. A joint committee of the two countries will take six months to select a consultant firm. An international bid will then select a construction company. Wan Nor said the project underscored economic cooperation among countries in the Mekong sub-region: Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, China, Vietnam and Cambodia. Wan Nor said the main trade route the bridge would serve originates in Mukdahan and extends to Savannakhet in Laos and Dong Ha in Vietnam. Another transport route in the opposite direction crosses Thailand from northeast to northwest, and ends in Myanmar. The freight could also be off-loaded on Thailand's eastern seaboard. The Lao transport minister said the bridge would provide a vital economic artery for the region as Laos was improving its highway connecting with the port city in Vietnam. The first Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge was opened in 1994, linking Thailand's Nong Khai in northeast and Lao capital Vientiane. |
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