New Mekong bridge to open by September

New Mekong bridge to open by September

People will find it easier to cross in and out of Xayaboury province in the next few months, with the bridge over the Mekong River connecting to Luang Prabang province nearing completion.

The bridge will span the Mekong linking Thadeua village in Xayaboury to Pakkhone village in Luang Prabang, which were previously only connected by ferry services.

Director of the provincial Public Works and Transport Department, Mr Pheng Duanggneun told Vientiane Times on Tuesday the bridge would link the two riverbanks by the end of this month.

Construction on the 620m bridge began in 2009, with the Lao government borrowing money from South Korea in order to complete the project .

With the bridge nearly complete, Mr Pheng said the ferries that used to cross the river there will be moved to areas without a bridge as they will become redundant once works were complete.

In Xayaboury province, the bridge will link with a road to the Thai border while on the Luang Prabang side the bridge will connect to national Road 13 North, which runs through Luang Prabang and Oudomxay provinces to the Laos-China border in Luang Namtha.

Once the bridge is complete, it will support the government's efforts to turn landlocked Laos into a land-linked country, boosting trade, investment and tourism in the region.

To help reduce vehicle congestion in and out of Xayaboury, which normally requires a ferry, the government is building a second bridge to connect the province to Vientiane.

Construction is starting in Nasak village in Xayaboury, with the bridge to cross the Mekong River and link with a road in Kokkhaodor village in Vientiane province.

It will connect to Road Number 11, which leads to Vientiane.

Many people already use this route to Xayaboury and Luang Prabang provinces, as it can be faster than driving through Luang Prabang.

The bridge is expected to be complete by 2015, before the Asean Economic Community comes into effect.

By Khonesavanh Latsaphao 
(Latest Update June 12, 2013)