April 2011

Third Lao-Thai Bridge Nears Completion:

The Bridge Construction Bureau of Thailand's Highways Department reported that construction of the third Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge, connecting Thailand's northeast Nakhon Phanom Town to Thakhaek in Laos's Khammouane Province, was ahead of schedule, and the governments are eyeing a late-2011 opening. The bridge aims to boost trade and tourism among Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, and southern China.

The bridge is also part of the Asian Development Bank's East-West Economic Corridor project that links Myanmar to Vietnam's central region via Thailand's Udon Ratchathani Province and Thakhaek. A fourth Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge should be completed in 2014 connecting Chiang Khong in Thailand's Chiang Rai Province to Houei Xai in Bokeo Province and Lao Route 3 to Yunnan, China.