The Governments of Laos and Thailand are planning to start building a 6th bridge in 2023 to connect the two banks of the Mekong River, connecting Sarawan Province, about 670 km Southeast of the capital Vientiane, with Ubon Ratchathani Province in Northeastern Thailand.

Once completed, the 6th Lao-Thai Bridge is expected to promote border trade, investment, tourism and will strengthen the relations between the two countries.

Mr. Litta Khattiya, Director General of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport’s Road Department, has confirmed on Monday (Oct 19) that the survey and design of the bridge have been completed.

He said that the governments of Laos and Thailand have approved the design of the bridge. If everything goes according to the plan, work on the bridge will start in 2023 and the structure will be completed by 2025.

The construction cost of the bridge is estimated at US $140 million. The cost will be paid by the Neighboring Countries Economic Development Cooperation Agency (NEDA) in Thailand through grant assistance and loans.

The 1.02 km long bridge will connect Road No. 13 South in Nakhonpheng district of Sarawan Province with Thai Highway 2112 in Na Tan district of Ubon Ratchathani Province. The planned bridge will not only connect eastern Thailand to southern Laos, but will also establish a connection with central Vietnam and become an economic corridor for the entire region.

According to the report, the bridge will stimulate the government’s efforts to transform Laos from being landlocked region to a land link within the region, which will also cut transportation costs and accelerate the development of southern Laos. Once the bridge opened to the traffic, Sarawan Province will be fully connected with the regional economic corridor.

Currently, there are 4 bridges connecting Laos and Thailand through the Mekong River. The first connects Vientiane to Nong Khai Province in Thailand and the second connects Savannakhet Province to Mukdahan Province in Thailand. The third bridge connects Khammuan province with Nakhon Phanom in Thailand and the fourth bridge connects Bokeo province in northern Laos with Chiang Rai province.

The fifth bridge connecting Borikhamxay province to Thailand’s Bueng Kan Province across the Mekong River is likely to begin later in 2020 and construction will take three years.