Fourth Mekong bridge falls behind schedule

Vientiane - Construction on a bridge spanning the Mekong River between Laos and Thailand has been delayed by more than six months due to financial shortfalls, media reports said Wednesday.

The 480-metre bridge between between Bokeo province, Laos, and Chiang Rai, Thailand, was initially scheduled to be completed by the end of 2012.

"The work has been delayed slightly as project financing was impacted by the global financial crisis," Thavone Vorabouth, Deputy Head of the 4th Mekong River Bridge Construction Project, told the Vientiane Times.

The 44-million-dollar project is a joint venture between the Thai and Lao governments, with each side contributing 50 per cent of the costs.

The bridge is part of the Greater Mekong Sub-region’s economic corridor project that will eventually link northern Thailand with Kunming, China, via Road R3 in Laos.

The first Mekong bridge, linking Nong Khai, Thailand, to Laos’ capital Vientiane, was opened in 1994.//DPA

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