5th Thai/ Laos bridge proposed at Udon meeting

[KTMphil]

5th Thai/ Laos bridge proposed at Udon meeting


Mac just spotted this in the Bangkok Post:


http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/eco ... on-meeting

INFRASTRUCTURE

Fifth bridge to Laos to be proposed at Udon meeting
Published: 20/02/2012 at 02:59 AMNewspaper section: Business
A fifth bridge between Thailand and Laos will be proposed at the mobile cabinet meeting in Udon Thani this Wednesday.

Businesses in Bung Kan province have suggested the building of a 1.5-kilometre, 1.5-billion-baht bridge to link Bung Kan with Pak San in Laos.

The proposal will first be brought before a regional meeting of the Joint Public-Private Consultative Committee tomorrow and will later be presented at the cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) secretary-general Arkhom Termpittayapaisith said that if the cabinet endorses the plan in principle, a feasibility study will be conducted to assess whether there is sufficient traffic and trade volume to justify the project.

At the mobile cabinet meeting, the government will be focusing on strategies to facilitate trade and investment with neighbouring countries, particularly Laos and Vietnam.

The NESDB reports that border trade between Thailand and Laos accounts for about 10% of the country's total border trade and is growing 25%-30% a year.

In the third quarter of last year, border trade between two countries totalled 27.87 billion baht.

Border trade with Laos is expected to soar this year because of the completion of the third bridge, connecting Nakhon Panom and Tha Khaek.

The fourth bridge, linking Chiang Khong in Chiang Rai to Huai Sai in Laos, is under construction.

During its meeting this week, the cabinet is scheduled to consider plans for 12 provinces in the northeastern region. A total of 31 proposals will be tabled, including the upgrading of a highway and tourism sites, as well as the development of water-management projects.

Prasert Adulsuthanon, chairman of the Bung Kan Chamber of Commerce, said the proposed fifth bridge across Mekong River will boost border trade for the area. A road link from the province to central Vietnam via the bridge and through Laos would be quite short, at only 320 km, and would help save transportation costs.

The chamber has also proposed expanding the 135-km two-lane highway from Bung Kan to Nong Khai to four lanes in order to facilitate transportation.


About the author
Writer: Chatrudee Theparat
Position: Business Reporter

 

[KTMphil]

Proposed location of the 5th Thai/ Laos international border crossing bridge

 

[Harrythefinn]

Crossed there last time, it was all trucks on the ferries. They were taking 8 trucks per ferry and it looked quite busy. Yet another crossing to close for bike entry into Laos??

 

[Lone Rider]

For the Buengkhan to Pakxane bridge plans see also my post from June 2011 at http://rideasia.net/forum/post2290.html?hilit=bridge#p2290 where they announced that discussions had been held between representative from both Laos and Thailand

 

[Lone Rider]

From the LAOFAB Forum:

*Plans for fifth Mekong bridge unfold*

TTR Weekly

BUNG KAN, 28 December 2012: Construction of a bridge, across the Mekong River that will connect Thailand's Bung Kan province and Bolikhamxai province in Laos will start December 2013.

Thailand's Ministry of Transport permanent secretary, Sornsak Sansombat, said a plan to increase bilateral trade, investment, tourism and transportation between the two nations included a project to build a bridge across the Mekong River connecting Thailand and Laos via Bung Kan.

"The project is currently in its initial stages with a blueprint being penned by relevant officials. Construction of the bridge is expected to begin at the end of 2013."

Third Mekong Friendship Bridge

He added: "Once completed, the bridge will also serve as a major transport route between Thailand and several cities in Vietnam."

From Bolikhamxai, the Lao national highway 8 leads to the Vietnamese border at Nge An province in the north central coastal region. The route then extends to Hanoi and Danang and other central and northern towns in Vietnam. From Thailand to Vietnam the distance is just 150 km border to border.

The Lao-Thai joint commission on bilateral cooperation agreed, last April, at a meeting in Vientiane, to build the bridge based on the benefits that have been gained from three bridges that have already been opened. The fourth bridge at Chiang Khong will open late next year.

There are three Lao-Thai Friendship Bridges across the Mekong River.

The first connects Nong Khai province in Thailand with Vientiane in Laos and the second connects Mukdahan province in Thailand with Savannakhet province in Laos. The Third Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge connects the northeastern Thai province of Nakhon Phanom with Khammouan province in central Lao PDR.

Meanwhile, a fourth bridge is under construction to connect Thailand's Chiang Kong in Chiang Rai and Huay Xai in Bokeo province in Laos. The bridge spans were closed 12 December, but it will take between six to nine months to complete access roads and other facilities before it will open to traffic.