4th Friendship Bridge: under construction

[Yappofloyd]

I'm calling this one the 4th based on Khun Wisarut's post which refers to the Nakhon Phanom as the 3rd.

So no date for construction of the bridge but you can bet the Chinese have their way this will get built very quickly especially given all of the Chinese ruit that gets offload in Chiang Khong and Chiang Saeng.

After the Open Ceremony of the 2nd Friendship Bridge at Mukdaharn by Princess Sirindhorn on Decemebr 20, 2006, Lao Prime Minister has asked Thai Prime Minister to build the following rialway lines for Laos -

1. Ning Khai - Tha Nalaeng - Wiangchan
(SO far the first 3.5 km is now under construction, further 9 km from Tha Nalaeng to Wiangchan will be under consideration)

2. Wiangchan - Pak Xan - Tha Kahek. This line is to make a connection with Nakhon Phanom

3. Tha Khaek - Vung Ahn Port (Vietnam) to make a connection with Vietnam. Tha Khaek is a port opposite of Nakhon Phanom.

The initial phase will be meter gauge to connect with Thai Railway and Standard Gauge will be added on to make a connection with China.

Furthermore, Thai Prime Minister and Lao Prime Minister have signed Memorandom of Understandings for the 3rd Friendship Bridge and the 4th Friendship Bridge Across Mekhong.

The 3rd Friendship Bridge will link Tha Khae with Nakhon Phanom while the 4th Friendship Bridge will link Huay Sai (Boh Kaeo province) with Chiang Khong
(Chiang Rai province).

The 3rd and the 4th Friendship Bridge should have railway track as the way to stimulate both contry to build the Railway line

These 2 Bridges will also compell Thai govenrnment to revive Bua Yai - Mukdaharn - Nakhon Phanom and Denchai - Chiang Rail - Chiang Khong which have been frozen for many years. However, Thai governemtn would have to ask either JBIC or China to finance these 2 railway projects.

Third bridge to be built across the Mekong ANUCHA CHAROENPO BKK Post 31/01/07

A third bridge will be built over the Mekong river, this time linking Chiang Rai with Huaysay in Laos, with China agreeing to share the cost equally with Thailand. The estimated price is US$31 million (1.085 billion baht). Deputy government spokesman Nattawat Suttiyotin said Thailand will be responsible for construction on the Thai side and Beijing will be responsible for the Lao side of the bridge. He could not say when the construction would begin. Further talks between Thai and Chinese officials were needed.

The cabinet passed a resolution on the cost-sharing budget for construction of the bridge on Dec 19 and directed the Commerce Ministry to propose the idea to China. Beijing recently informed Thailand in a letter that it agreed with the idea, he said. The cost-sharing approach to the bridge's construction was under the Greater Mekong Subregion scheme.

The bridge will start in Chiang Khong district of Chiang Mai, crossing to Huaysay town in the northern Lao province of Bokeo. It will be 630 metres long and 16.7 metres wide. The bridge will serve a road linking Thailand and China through Bokeo and Luang Namtha and boost trade in the subregion.

[Wisarut]

If you want the 3rd and the 4th Friendship bridge to have railway track, SRT and Thai government have to borrow Money from JBIC or China Bank for this matters. These loans are to finance Denchai - Chiang rai - Chiang Khong (or Chaing Saen) as well as Bua Yai - Nakhon Phanom route ...

Without this trailway line, ther is NIO reason to put railway track in the Friendship Bridge at the first place

[Yappofloyd]

A very unique story title (Not!). There is a good graphic in the Post article showing the planned road link to China through Laos. Perhaps Khun GWR could post it in this thread?

A BRIDGE TOO FAR Many local residents are still not convinced the project will take off Story by NAOWARAT SUKSAMRAN and SUBIN KHEUNKAEW BKK Post 18/02/07

Upon hearing the news that the cabinet had approved construction of a new Thai-Lao bridge over the Mekong River in Chiang Khong district, residents living around the bridge site responded with delight, convinced that the news would further boost land prices in the area. China has agreed to share the 1.09-billion-baht construction cost of the 400-metre-long bridge with Thailand under the Greater Mekong Sub-region scheme. The bridge, if constructed, will link Chiang Rai's Chiang Khong district and Houayxay, the capital of Bokeo province in Laos.

But many in Chiang Khong district are still not convinced the government would implement the project. "Will they really do it? We've heard about the project since the Chatichai Choonhavan government. We hear about the plan every now and then, but we've never seen the construction take off," said a resident of Don Mahawan community, which is adjacent to the bridge site on the Thai side. "And the government that has approved its construction is an interim one, not a permanent government," said another resident.

News about its planned construction has influenced the lives of local residents significantly over the past decade as land prices in communities around the bridge site, including the nearby Pak Ing Nua community, have steadily gone up. In those communities, the land is sold at between 400,000 and 500,000 baht per rai, while the land closer to the Mekong River bank can fetch up to one million baht per rai.

A tour operator in Chiang Khong said before the Chatichai Choonhavan government came up with the plan, land prices in Chiang Khong were only ranging between 4,000 and 5,000 baht per rai. Tempted by soaring land prices following the announcement of the bridge project by the Chatichai regime, most of the Don Mahawan and Pak Ing Nua residents then sold off their land to outsiders and turned themselves into tenants on the same plots. "I sold my land five years ago at 40,000 baht per rai," said 66-year-old Sa-nguan Khamtan. After selling his six-rai plot, he bought a car and gave the rest of the money to his children. Like his neighbours, he now lives on the six-rai plot he rents from the same person he sold the land to.

Panya Taengmo, another Don Mahawan resident, said whenever there is news that the government will soon build the bridge, land prices in his community shoot up again and then drop a bit after there is no sign of actual construction. Khamphan Thammawong, who runs a large business selling decorative stones in the neighbourhood, said his family members are snapping up more land after hearing the latest construction plan. Right now he owns more than three rai of land next to the river bank himself. Mr Khamphan believes the construction plan is for real this time as the Lao government has already expropriated land around the bridge site on the Lao side.

According to the tour operator, most owners of land around the bridge site are local and national politicians. However, some have purchased large land plots on behalf of Chinese business operators keen to build warehouses near the bridge. Prayuth Phothi, the Don Mahawan village headman, said 70% of the residents in his community have already sold their land. The locals make a living by collecting stones from the Mekong River and selling them as decorative stones for landscaping.

Mr Prayuth said there is also a plan to build an industrial estate on a 16,000-rai plot in Tambon Sri Donmool, which would help to create more jobs. Since the collecting of stones from the river for sale is illegal, the bridge would make it easier for law enforcement authorities to see residents that are collecting stones from the river, said Mr Prayuth.

[GWR]

Here's a temporary image link, in case The Bangkok Post removes the article link - as they so often do. Right now, I don't have the necessary permission to switch on the image function in this thread, but I'll work on it: -

[Yappofloyd]

^ GWR, thanks Khun GWR.



Another article...

Span offers good news and bad for remote district Critics see pollution, competition for jobs By Naowarat Suksamran & Subin Kheunkaew BKK Post 18/02/07

Economic fruits and social ills are shaping the outlook for a new ''Friendship Bridge'' to be built in the remote but tranquil district of Chiang Khong. The government hopes the bridge, linking Thailand and Laos across the Mekong River, will bolster the economy of the northern province. But civic groups suspect it may bring problems as well. ''We expect an increase in garbage and other pollutants,'' said Prapai Prasert, assistant chairwoman of the Tambon Wiang Administration Organisation. Her agency expects to make money from the bridge, expected to take three years to build.

Tambon Wiang could collect more taxes from a warehouse and goods-loading spots near the bridge. This would boost tax revenues, which currently rely solely on a Thai lignite company which transports lignite from Laos to its factory in Thailand. ''We also expect an increase in visitors,'' Mrs Prapai said.
''We need to build facilities for tourism and restaurants,'' she added. Civic groups want to protect what they call a ''peaceful town.'' They want to avoid a repeat of what happened in the neighbouring districts of Chiang Saen and Mae Sai, said former Chiang Rai senator and social activist Tuenchai Deetes.

Those places have become commercial districts and are gradually losing their links with the past. ''We will encounter changes that affect our lifestyle when we open the door to economic prosperity,'' said Ms Tuenchai, a leader of the We Love Chiang Khong group. The group once protested against dam construction on the Mekong in China and rapids blasting in the same river to make passage for boats easier. The projects could threaten water ecology in the Mekong, say environmentalists.

The Thai government will start building the bridge later this year. It is part of a bigger transport network, including a road linking Jinghong in southern China and Houayxay town in Laos, opposite Chiang Khong district. The section linking China and Laos is already finished. Chiang Rai Chamber of Commerce chairman Pattana Sitthisombat said Thailand would eventually become an outlet for cheap Chinese goods and local sellers would suffer if they could not produce better quality products to compete. Cheap labourers from China could also enter the labour market in Thailand and vie for jobs with Thais, Mrs Prapai added.

Elsewhere, however, people welcome the prospect of increased trade. An information technology upgrade is planned to help investors in Mae Sai, Chiang Saen, and Chiang Khong districts. Almost 10 schools in Chiang Rai municipality have opened Chinese courses on trade and investment for students. Changes are unavoidable, but villagers could deal with them well if they strive to live within their means and avoid becoming addicted to consumerism, Mr Pattana said.

[GWR]

Bernama's D. Arul Rajoo has beaten the Thai English media to press on several major decision's recently:

Another Bridge Crossing Mekong To Link China-Bangkok

By D.Arul Rajoo

BANGKOK, June 21 (Bernama) -- A bridge crossing the Mekong River at Chiang Khong in northern Thailand and Houayxay in Laos will be completed in 2011 to connect the south-western province of China directly to Bangkok by road.

Asian Development Bank (ADB) vice-president C. Lawrence Greenwood Jr said that the agreement to build the bridge was reached during the three-day 14th Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Ministerial Conference which ended in Manila today.

He said in a statement that the bridge, to be financed by the governments of China and Thailand, would be the final link in a north-south road system through the Mekong region under development by nations in the area and the ADB for more than a decade.

"When this vital bridge is completed, it will be possible for the first time to travel by land directly from Yunnan, China, through Laos to Thailand, opening up tremendous potential for increased trade, tourism, and further integration of the Mekong region," he said.

The ADB has been the lead supporter of the Greater Mekong Subregion Economic Cooperation Program since it began in 1992 and the area has grown into one of the fastest growing regions in the world, with average gross domestic product growth of about six per cent in recent years.

Exports of the GMS countries quadrupled from US$37 billion in 1992 to US$182 billion in 2006 and annual tourist arrivals more than doubled from 10 million in 1995 to over 22 million in 2006 while foreign direct investment rose from about US$3 billion in 1992 to US$7 billion in 2005.

The ADB said that cooperation among the GMS countries including Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam had enhanced their connectivity, improved their competitiveness and developed a sense of community in the region.

Among the recent accomplishments of the GMS programme are the opening in December 2006 of the Government of Japan-funded Second Mekong International Bridge at the Mukdahan-Savannakhet border between Thailand and Laos, which completes the East-West Economic Corridor, a 1,500km stretch of upgraded roads that cuts across four of the six GMS countries.

Other programmes are the start of work on two ADB-assisted major railway links in Cambodia and Vietnam and the finalisation and signing of all the annexes and protocols of the Agreement for the Facilitation of Cross Border Transport of Goods and People.

In addition, the subregion will soon see the completion of Phase 1 of the Information Superhighway Network consisting of optical fibre backbone connections among the GMS countries, as well as measures to address the region's environmental challenges through a Core Environment Programme.

-- BERNAMA

http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=268779

[Yappofloyd]

Expert urges speedy Thai-Laos bridge work ARANEE JAIIMSIN Bkk Post 16/10/07
Thailand should accelerate the construction of the third Thai-Laos bride crossing Mekong River so that it is finished by mid-2010 to prevent the loss of trade opportunities, says a logistics expert. Thailand and China are jointly building the two-billion-baht bridge and splitting the construction cost, said Pongchai Athikomrattanakul, a logistics affairs adviser to the Commerce Minister. Construction on the Thai side of the river has begun and is projected to finish in 2011.

The new bridge would help connect Kunming in China to Laos and Thailand. Furthermore, if the agreement between China and Asean on developing inland transport is signed, the route would extend to Malaysia and Singapore, eventually forming the North-South Economic Corridor. The completed highway would shorten road travel time from Kunming to Bangkok to 20 hours from 42 hours currently. The 2011 completion date for the Thai link should be moved up if possible since the highway linking Kunming with Laos would be ready in 2009, said Dr Pongchai, who is also the director of the Center for Logistics Excellence at King Mongkut's University of Technology Thon Buri.

The new government should therefore speed up construction because the new route would bring business opportunities to trucking companies, particularly those who can carry construction materials, as well as consumer products, to supply Chinese development projects in Kunming, said Dr Pongchai. He also called on the government to reconsider the plan to add a railway to the third Thai-Laos bridge since it would delay the construction process and increase the construction cost dramatically.

There is no railway in Laos while China only has a 50-kilometre railway from Kunming at present. The total distance for a railway system from Kunming to Bangkok is around 1,000 km, noted Dr Pongchai.

[GWR]

See also previous post:

Third Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge progress in Bokeo

(KPL) Laos has already prepared for the construction of the third Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge between Bokeo province of Laos and Chienglai [Chiang-Rai] province of Thailand, after having spent over one year for the preparation of construction.

According to local news source, Bokeo province reported last week that the plan for the third Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge construction between two countries has progressed smoothly.

A Lao official concerned disclosed the construction area has been already imposed, meanwhile Thailand has actively tried to meet its main workforces related to designing team and to hire construction company at the end of this year.

The construction plan will be launched in 2008 and it expects to be completed by 2010.

The third Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge Construction Project will be invested around US$ 31 million.

The bridge will be placed at Donkhai-Nok village, Houaysai district of Bokeo province spanning over to Pak-Ing Neau village, Xiengkhong [Chiang-Khong] district of Chienglai [Chiang-Rai] province of Thailand.

The unnamed officials disclosed that Asian Development Bank (ADB) will manage the construction budget around US$ 31 million until to 2010. It means that payment under ADB’s control to ensure the transparency and fairness.

This friendship bridge will serve to link goods transportation and trade among Laos, Thailand and China.

In addition it will create good environment for investment, transport, trade and tourism.

http://www.kplnet.net/english/news/edn7.htm

Nearby Chiang Saen is also going to get its second Mekong River port:
http://207.5.19.33/forum/showthread....newpost&t=2836

Laos has plans for 4 new bridges over the Mekong (7th Jan. 2008):
http://207.5.19.33/forum/showpost.ph...23&postcount=6

[GWR]

Bernama's D. Arul Rajoo has beaten the Thai English media to press on several major decision's recently:

.....

BANGKOK, June 21 (Bernama) -- A bridge crossing the Mekong River at Chiang Khong in northern Thailand and Houayxay in Laos will be completed in 2011 to connect the south-western province of China directly to Bangkok by road.

.....

http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=268779

It appears that the Chinese have completed their stretch of the Kunming-Bangkok Highway:
http://207.5.19.33/forum/showpost.ph...67&postcount=1

And the two lane stretch through Laos to Houaysai is also likely to be completed this year:
http://207.5.19.33/forum/showpost.ph...3&postcount=12

[Yappofloyd]

A route to prosperity Bkk Post Business, 29/03/08
The R3a highway holds plenty of promise, but certain issues need to be sorted out first, writes Walailak Keeratipipatpong
The launch of the modern highway R3a linking China, Laos and Thailand is expected to substantially raise economic prosperity in the region through increased trade and investments. Local businessmen estimate that the route, linking Thailand through the yet-to-be-built Thai-Lao bridge in Chiang Khong district of Chiang Rai and Houei Xai district of Bokeo province in Laos, will help bolster Chiang Rai's trade with neighbouring countries by tenfold to 100 billion baht in the next decade.

The Thai government is also planning about eight billion baht worth of infrastructure projects to foster further development, among them the new bridge in Chiang Khong. Significant improvements have been made to the infrastructure and facilities initiated under the Greater Mekong Sub-region in recent years, with the latest being the completion of the about 250 kilometres of the R3a highway, which will be opened officially on Monday. While the development has delighted the business community, question remain as to how all sides can make the most out of this transport system to assist border trade.

Differences in customs procedures, as well as the unsettled issue of revenue sharing from the fee collected for the use of the Thailand-Laos bridge linking Mukdahan and Savannakhet, are likely to inhibit the new route's potential. For example, cargoes from China to Thailand would have to pass different customs checks, including those in Vietnam and Laos. Such inconveniences and the time-consuming process will definitely cost traders more.

Acknowledging the problem, the Chiang Rai Chamber of Commerce is planning to propose a single-stop inspection system for goods shipped through the R3a route. The system requires all involved countries to harmonise their customs procedures and private companies are being urged to team up and register as a safeguard and risk-management measure.

The chamber's chairman, Pattana Sitthisombat, said that once everything was sorted out, an inspection of shipments at the Chinese distribution centre would be enough and the goods would not need to be checked again in Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Mr Pattana, who also heads the Quadrangle Economic Development Business Committee that groups 10 provincial chambers of commerce in the north of Thailand, suggested the government urgently address the problem before R3a becomes widely used.

[GWR]

Construction of 4th Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge to kick off in 2009

(KPL) The 4th Lao-Thai Friendship Mekong Bridge Construction Project will link the Bokeo province of Laos and the Chieng Rai province of Thailand. This bridge, which will be built on the Mekong River will become part of 270 kilometer R3a road.

This bridge will be connected to the road that links Laos, China and Thailand so that it becomes a seamless highway. Construction work will commence in June 2009.On its completion this will be the fourth bridge across the Mekong River . The others are located in Vientiane, Savannakhet and Khammuane. [Mod: Not actually started yet! Contracts out.] Bokeo residents believed that the 4th Lao-Thai Friendship Mekong Bridge between two provinces of the countries would lead to an increase in trade, transport, investment and tourism. At the same time it will also bring the Thais and Lao people closer together.

Mr Thavonh Vorabouth, Deputy Director General of the 4th Lao-Thai Friendship Mekong Bridge Construction Project, Bokeo province disclosed yesterday that the plan of the 4th Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge Construction Project is completed. Construction work will begin on June 2009 and it will be completed in 2011. The Chinese and Thai governments have jointly invested around US$ 59 million on a 50 �50 basis and it is in the form of cooperative shares.

The Lao government would provide basic facility support for the 480 meters long and 14.7 meters wide bridge project.

He added that the 4th Lao-Thai Friendship Mekong Bridge would boost trade, investment, tourism and transportation in Laos, China and Thailand.

http://www.kplnet.net/english/news/edn6.htm

[Yappofloyd]

4th Mekong River Bridge construction postponed to next November, kplnet Dec 08

(KPL) The 4th Mekong River Bridge Construction Project in Bokeo, which was scheduled to commence in May 2009 will be postponed to November 2009.
This bridge will connect Bokeo province in northern Laos with Chiang Rai province in Thailand.

The local authorities of Bokeo province told KPL News yesterday that the six month postponement was due to the fact that the Chinese government proposed several new policies to the Lao and Thai governments. The Chinese called on the two governments to waive taxes on construction materials, levy on workers and others.

While the Lao government has agreed to such proposals but Thailand is not able to make any decision because Thailand does not have a government in place and the officials said that they are not authorised to make such decisions.

The budget of the 4th Mekong River Bridge Construction Project is US$ 60 million, with Thailand and China footing the bill on a 50-50 basis. Laos is also paying a portion of the cost as it has agreed to compensate four billion kip to the 171 families who will have to vacate to another place as their houses are in the path of the bridge.

This bridge, 400 m long and 14.7 m wide, will span across the Mekong River. It will act as a linkage for four countries, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar and China and it follows that it will boost trade investment, tourism and transportation. Mr Thavone Voravouth, Director of the 4th Mekong River Bridge Construction Project, said that any delay on the construction of the bridge does not only incur losses in time and money but it could lead to a derailment of the project as the present global financial crisis is certain to adversely affect the government's coffers.

Note" originally posted by GWR, http://207.5.19.33/forum/showthread.php?t=3516

[Yappofloyd]

Yet more delay for this project. Haven't posted anything as well nothing has been happening!

Fourth Mekong bridge falls behind schedule, The Nation, 04/01/12
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

[Wisarut]

More update from Chiang Rai Focus by boondham

Taken on 15 October 2012:

Span which done by Chinese contractor - taken on 15 October 2012


Construction Site on Thai side taken by Webmaster of Chiang Rai Focus on 13 October 2012


Japanese Consul General in Chiang Mai along with the Committee on Quadrangle Economic corridor going to come to the Connecting Ceremony on 12 December 2012 (12/12/12)


Construction of Checkpoint on Thai side


Construction of Facilities on Lao side

More can be seen from Khun Boontham site:
https://www.facebook.com/boondham

Chinese Contractor (China Railway No. 5 Engineering Group) Delays has compelled to postpone the ceremony of Opening the 4th Friendship bridge well into December 2013 - In October 2012, the 4th Friendship bridge to connect with R3A Highway is 60% done ... The contract on the 4th Friendship bridge with a price tag of 44.81 Million Dollars (1400 Million Baht) has been paid 50% by Thailand and 50% by China - China Railway No. 5 Engineering Group is a Chinese contractor while Krung Thon Engineering is Thai Contractor. (Prachachat Thirakij - 19 October 2012)

http://www.prachachat.net/news_detai...&subcatid=1900

City Planning around chiang Khong slow down - causing the sprawling buildings around the 4th Friendship Bridge (Prachachat Thirakij - 6 November 2012)
http://www.prachachat.net/news_detai...&subcatid=1901

More can be seen about the 4th Bridge across Mekhong to connect with R3A Highway from Chiang Rai Focus
http://www.chiangraifocus.com/forums...topic=4867.200

[Wisarut]

Ceremony for connecting the bridge on 12 Dec 2012 - for the 4th Friendship Bridge with the length of 480 meter and 14.7 meter width alogn with 11 km road to connect with R3A Highways
http://www.manager.co.th/Local/ViewN...=9550000143428