Third Thai-Lao bridge set for November opening

The third Thai-Lao bridge spanning the Mekong River was scheduled to open in November, offering a new transport link between Thailand and Vietnam, media reports said Tuesday.

Construction on the 780-metre bridge between Nakhon Phanom province of Thailand and Khammuane province of Laos is 73-per-cent complete and would be connected in March, the Vientiane Times reported.

‘We are planning to hold a Buddhist ceremony in March to mark the connection of the bridge,’ deputy project chief Nongsavan Thammavong said.

The bridge would offer a new transport link between north-eastern Thailand and Vietnam through Laos’ Route 12.

Construction of the bridge began in May 2009, financed by Thailand at a cost of 1.7 billion baht (56.7 million dollars).

It would be the third bridge spanning the Mekong between the two neighbours.

The first Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge was built in 1994, linking Vientiane to Nong Khai province in Thailand. The second Lao-Thai bridge was built in 2007, linking Laos’ eastern province of Savannakhet to Mukdahan in north-eastern Thailand. Construction of a fourth Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge between Bokeo province in Laos and Chiang Rai province in Thailand is 9.5-per-cent complete and should be open next year, the Vientiane Times said.