Everything about Thai Lao Friendship Bridge totally explained
The
First Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge ([sà.pʰaːnmít.trà.pʰâːp tʰai laːw hɛ̀ŋ tʰîː nɯ̀ŋ];, [kʰǔamit.ta.pʰâːp láːw tʰai tám ǐt]) is a
bridge over the
Mekong, connecting
Nong Khai province and the city of
Nong Khai in
Thailand with
Vientiane in
Laos. With a length of 1170 m, the bridge has two 3.5 m-wide road lanes, two 1.5 m-wide footpaths and a single
metre gauge railway line in the middle, straddling the narrow central reservation.
History
Opened on
April 8 1994, it was the first bridge across the lower Mekong, and the second on the full course of the Mekong.
The cost was about
US$30 million, funded by the Australian government as
development aid for Laos.
The bridge was built by Australian companies as a demonstration of the capabilities of their ability to complete major infrastructural projects in
southeast Asia. This mixing of development aid with commercial interests was criticized by some
NGOs.
The official name of the bridge was changed by the addition of "First" after the
Second Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge further south opened in January 2007.
Road traffic
Traffic on the bridge
drives on the left, as in Thailand, while traffic in Laos
drives on the right. The changeover at the Lao end, just before the border post, is controlled by traffic lights.
A shuttle bus service operates across the bridge, between the Lao and Thai border posts.
Railway
A metre-gauge track from the new Nong Khai station runs part-way across the bridge from the Thai side.
On
March 20 2004 an agreement between the Thai and Lao governments was signed to extend the railway to
Tha Nalaeng in Laos, about 3.5 km from the bridge. This will be the first railway link to Laos. The Thai government agreed to finance the line. Construction began in early 2007 and is expected to be completed in May 2008.
On
February 22 2006 approval of funding for the rail line from Tha Nalaeng to Vientiane, about 9 km, was announced by the
French Development Agency.
Further Information
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