Construction of the fourth Mekong River Bridge behind Schedule
Construction of the fourth Mekong River Bridge behind Schedule
he 480-metre bridge between between Bokeo province, Laos, and Chiang Rai, Thailand, was initially scheduled to be completed by the end of 2012.
Construction on a bridge spanning the Mekong River between Laos and Thailand has been delayed by more than six months due to financial shortfalls
‘The work has been delayed slightly as project financing was impacted by the global financial crisis,’ Thavone Vorabouth, Deputy Head of the 4th Mekong River Bridge Construction Project.
The 44-million-dollar project is a joint venture between the Thai and Lao governments, with each side contributing 50 per cent of the costs.
Design of the bridge is similar to that of the first Friendship Bridge, which connect Vientiane province in Laos with Nong Khai province in Thailand; the onlyvisible difference being the absence of a rail line. It will be 480m long and 14.70m wide and have two road lanes in each direction.
The bridge is part of the Greater Mekong Sub-region’s economic corridor project that will eventually link northern Thailand with Kunming, China, via Road R3 in Laos
Laos has received a grant of US$20 million from the Chinese government, under an agreement signed in 2008. Once completed, the river bridge is finished, it completes the road link to China, a route that transverses Laos.
