3rd Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge To Be Constructed

[Jai Dee]

Thailand and China will share the construction cost of the 3rd Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge

Thailand and China have reaffirmed they will each pay half of the construction cost of the third Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge estimated at around 33 million US dollars. The bridge will be built across the Mekong River.

The commitment was made at the meeting between leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the People\’s Republic of China in Cebu, Philippines today. The bridge will link the Thai northern province of Chiang Rai with Laos\’ Huay Sai Province.

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said China is considered a pillar supporting regional stability and an important mechanism for ASEAN\’s growth. He welcomed Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao’s proposal to help support communication and logistics development within the region during the next 10 to 15 years, in order to facilitate future investment and tourism between ASEAN and China.

At the meeting, the Chinese Prime Minister also proposed ASEAN-China cooperation in bird flu suppression, public health and natural disaster mitigation.

At the end of the ASEAN-China meeting, Prime Minister Surayud witnessed the signing of three economic agreements between ASEAN and China.

They are the Agreement on Trade in Services of the Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation, the Action Plan under Beijing Declaration on Partnership in ICT cooperation and the Memorandum of Understanding on Agriculture signed between the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and the ASEAN Secretariat.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 15 January 2007

[sriracha john]

The bridge will link the Thai northern province of Chiang Rai with Laos\' Huay Sai Province.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 15 January 2007

uhmmm.... where at, TNNBPRD?? Do they have a specific place in mind? How about city name for us???

ok, let me help you guys out.... I know you're trying.

Perhaps it will be at Chiang Khong? Located opposite of the city of Huay Sai (which is spelled "Houayxai" in all of their signs), which is in Bokeo Province (not Huay Sai), where there is a pre-existing ferry boat border crossing, and which could use with a bit of sprucing up from the economic boon of a bridge.

SJ, TNNBPRD's ever-vigilant helper

Edited January 15, 2007 by sriracha john

[silverhawk_usa]

This is not really new information. The road, formally unofficially known as "the Jungle Road", Hwy 3 from Huay Sai through Luang Nam Tha and on to Boten, China has been under construction for the last few years. The ultimate goal is to open a new trade route from China to Thailand. The bridge will be the final stage.

Many trip reports and photos of this route and it's progress, or lack of, are available on the GT-Rider site message board. Completion of the road is still a couple years away.

[astral]

All these 2 lane bridges seem like very short sighted planning to me.

Why not build one big 6 lane bridge to start with and allow tourist traffic as well,

buy that I mean cars.............

Like the borders with Malaysia.

[silverhawk_usa]

All these 2 lane bridges seem like very short sighted planning to me.

Why not build one big 6 lane bridge to start with and allow tourist traffic as well,

buy that I mean cars.............

Like the borders with Malaysia.

Not quite sure what you are referring to? The Friendship Bridge at Nong Khai-Vientiane is a major bridge allowing cars, trucks and busses. The new bridge from Mukdahan to Takhek is a very large structure allowing busses and just opened to cars and trucks. What other bridges are there, two lane or otherwise? These are the only International crossings from Thai to Laos with bridges. (Equally true of the new bridge from Mai Sai to Myranmar).

[Soju]

All these 2 lane bridges seem like very short sighted planning to me.

Why not build one big 6 lane bridge to start with and allow tourist traffic as well,

buy that I mean cars.............

Like the borders with Malaysia.

Having been to several of the Thai-Lao border crossings, I don't think they'll be able to fully utilize a 6-lane bridge, even at the Vientiane crossing, for a very long time. I've never had any delays there due to the size of the bridge. There simply isn't much traffic there. And the numbers at Huay Sai are very small indeed. Even when the highway to Luang Nam Tha is complete, I don't see the numbers picking up much. BTW, the current road to Luang Nam Tha is quite an adventure - an extremely bumpy and dusty road, packed into a bus with some passengers sitting on unsecured plastic picnic chairs, doing their best to keep their balance the whole time. A bit like a 6-hour ride at Disneyland to me, but my wife who is extremely thrifty and always wants to take a bus instead of a plane said, "darling, next time we take a plane, ok?"

[sriracha john]

UPDATE

New Thai-Lao bridge throws up old problems

The planned building of a third Thai-Lao bridge over the Mekong river is likely to expand trade opportunities, but as with other similar developments before it, will also cost some villagers their land. The bridge, funded by the Thai and Chinese governments, will link Chiang Rai's Chiang Khong district to Huay Sai city of Bo Kaew province in Laos, and will serve as another gateway to southern China, along with the existing Nong Khai-Vientiane and Mukdahan-Savannakhet bridges. However, 72 Lao families in Ban Don village in Huay Sai city have been forced to sacrifice their ancestral land for the sake of the bridge. Thousands of rai have been expropriated. A man who gave his name as Saeng said villagers had refused to sign documents to accept compensation for the expropriation. ''I own about 13 rai. They gave me only 60 million kip (130,000 baht) for the land, which is not enough for me to buy land elsewhere. Land prices in other areas are now increasing,'' he said.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/23Apr2007_news03.php