Fourth Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge

Fourth Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge
Carries Motor vehicles
Crosses Mekong River, Thai-Lao Border
Locale Wiang Chiang Khong, Chiang Rai Province
Ban Houayxay, Bokèo Province
Characteristics
Design box girder bridge
Total length 480 metres (1,570 ft)
Width 14.7 m
History
Constructed by CR5-KT Group of China and Krung Thon Engineering of Thailand
Opened December 11, 2013

The Fourth Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge (Thai: สะพานมิตรภาพ ไทย-ลาว แห่งที่ 4,  [sàpʰaːn míttràpʰâːp tʰaj laːw hɛ̀ŋ tʰîː sìː]; Lao: ຂົວມິດຕະພາບ ລາວ-ໄທ, [kʰǔə mittapʰâːp láːw tʰaj]) is a highway bridge over the Mekong River that links the Chiang Khong District of Thailand and Ban Houayxay in Laos.[1] The bridge opened to the public on 11 December 2013.[2][3] The bridge was the last section of Asian Highway 3 to be built.

Size and location

The bridge is 630 meters long (with a main span of 480 meters) and is 14.7 meters wide.[2][4] It is about 10 kilometers from Amphoe Chiang Khong (Chiang Khong District), in the northeastern part of Chiang Rai Province, in northern Thailand, and about 12 kilometers from Ban Houayxay, the capital of Bokeo Province, in northwestern Laos.

North of the bridge, a six kilometer service road connects the bridge to Laotian highway R3A.[2] In the south, a three kilometer service road connects the bridge to the Chiang Khong-Thoen Highway and Route 1129 in Thailand.[2]

History

The bridge was jointly financed by the governments of Thailand, Laos, and China, along with the Asia Development Bank, to boost trade and development of the Greater Mekong Subregion.[2] About 1,900 million baht was budgeted for the project.

On 12 December 2012, a ceremony marking the joining of the two sides of the bridge was held in Houayxay, Laos.[5] A year later, on 12 December 2013, the bridge was officially opened at a ceremony presided over by Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.[2]

Chiang Khong was designated as a Special Economic Zone in 2015.[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Joint cabinet retreat scheduled for the weekend". The Nation. 2013-05-15. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Wanwisa Ngamsangchaikit, "4th Friendship bridge opens" TTR Weekly 2013-12-12
  3. ↑ Des Ball and Jessada Burinsuchat, "New Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge across the Mekong" 2013-08-21
  4. ↑ "Thai-Lao Friendship Bridges no.3 and 4". Bangkok Post. 2011-02-16. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
  5. ↑ "The closure ceremony of Houayxay Bridge has been held Dec 12 2012". InKunming. 2012-12-12. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
  6. ↑ Na Thalang, Jeerawat (2016-05-22). "Languishing by a bridge over a troubled border". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 22 May 2016.

Coordinates: 20°17′N 100°25′E / 20.283°N 100.417°E / 20.283; 100.417

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