Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The First Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge is a bridge

Bridge

A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...

over the Mekong

Mekong

The Mekong is a river that runs through China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It is the world's 10th-longest river and the 7th-longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annually....

, connecting Nong Khai province

Nong Khai Province

Nong Khai is the northernmost of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Bueng Kan, Sakon Nakhon, Udon Thani and Loei...

and the city of Nong Khai

Nong Khai

Nong Khai is a city in North-East Thailand and is the capital of the Nong Khai Province...

in Thailand

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

with Vientiane Prefecture in Laos

Laos

Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...

- the city of Vientiane

Vientiane

-Geography:Vientiane is situated on a bend of the Mekong river, which forms the border with Thailand at this point.-Climate:Vientiane features a tropical wet and dry climate with a distinct monsoon season and a dry season. Vientiane’s dry season spans from November through March. April marks the...

is approximately 20 km from the bridge. With a length of 1,170m (0.73 mi), the bridge has two 3.5m (11 ft 6 in) wide road lanes, two 1.5m (4 ft 11 in) wide footpaths and a single gauge railway line in the middle, straddling the narrow central reservation.

The rail gauge is 1000mm.
The loading gauge might be 3000mm.
The structure gauge (roughly equal to a road lane) might be about 4000mm.

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

International development

International development or global development is a concept that lacks a universally accepted definition, but it is most used in a holistic and multi-disciplinary context of human development — the development of greater quality of life for humans...

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

Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...

. This mixing of development aid with commercial interests was criticized by some NGO

Non-governmental organization

A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...

s.

The official name of the bridge was changed by the addition of "First" after the Second Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge

Second Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge

The Second Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge over the Mekong connects Mukdahan Province in Thailand with Savannakhet in Laos. The bridge is 1600 meters long and 12 meters wide, with two traffic lanes....

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 along the centre of the bridge. Road traffic is stopped when a train is crossing.

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 (2.2 mi) from the bridge. This will be the first railway link to Laos (but not the first railway, as a short portage

Portage

Portage or portaging refers to the practice of carrying watercraft or cargo over land to avoid river obstacles, or between two bodies of water. A place where this carrying occurs is also called a portage; a person doing the carrying is called a porter.The English word portage is derived from the...

line once existed). The Thai government agreed to finance the line through a combination of grant and loan. Construction formally began on January 19, 2007. Test trains began running on July 4, 2008. Formal inauguration occurred on March 5, 2009.

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

French Development Agency

French Development Agency is the French international development agency.The Agence Française de Développement is a public institution providing development financing...

.

In November 2010 plans to extend the service from Tha Nalaeng to Vientiane were abandoned. A posited high-speed rail link from China to Thailand through Laos would make the extension redundant. It would also necessitate the construction of a new bridge near to the current First Friendship Bridge.

History

Road traffic

Railway

See also