Four new Mekong bridges planned to build in Laos

The Ministry of Public Works and Transport plans to build four more bridges across the Mekong by 2010, according to a senior ministry official.

The Deputy Director General of the Bridge and Road Department, Mr Phan Phouthavong, said on Friday that the ministry's party committee, which held its congress in November, had agreed to the plan.

Two are set to span the border between Laos and Thailand and the others will cross the Mekong in Xayaboury province, he said....more info

He said the first bridge would link Thakhek district in Khammuan province and Nakhon Phanom in Thailand . The funding would come from the Thai government and a feasibility study was almost complete, with construction set to begin by the end of the year.

The second bridge would link Thadeua district in Xayaboury province and Pakkhone district in Luang Prabang province. A Korean bank has agreed to provide a low interest loan to the Lao government to build the bridge, according to Mr Phan.

Officials were still analysing the cost of the bridge, but he confirmed that the government wanted to start construction at the end of this year. The bridge will be two lanes wide and of similar design to those in Champassak province.

Mr Phan said the government was also negotiating funding to link Huayxai district in Bokeo province with Chiang Khong in Thailand . This project will be part of the superhighway connecting Bangkok , Thailand , with Kunming , China .

Negotiations between Lao, Thai and Chinese officials would take a while so he could not say when the project would begin. However, he said the ministry would do its best to have it finished by 2010.

The fourth bridge will connect Sanakham district in Vientiane province with Paklai district in Xayaboury province. Mr Phan said the government was currently seeking funds from international sources.

He said the ministry's party committee had agreed to try to bridge all major river crossings in Laos by 2010 to ensure easier transportation within the country. But he said this plan could be fulfilled only with the cooperation of all sectors and funding sources.

“This is our plan, but its success depends mainly on getting the necessary funding.”

The construction of the new bridges is part of government efforts to turn Laos from a landlocked to a land-linked country. Mr Phan said that people in Xayaboury province in particular would benefit from a bridge because it would give them greater access to markets for the sale of their produce.

The bridges will also be a great benefit to tourism development as tourists will have more options when travelling to and through Laos.

By Ekaphone Phouthonesy
Vientianetimes