The First Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge is a bridge over the

Mekong The Mekong or Mekong River ( , ) is a transboundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth-longest river and the third-longest in Asia with an estimated length of and a drainage area of , discharging of wat ...

, connecting Nong Khai Province and the city of

Nong Khai Nong Khai (, ) is a city in northeast Thailand. It is the capital of Nong Khai province. Nong Khai city is located in Mueang Nong Khai district. Nong Khai lies on the Mekong River, near the site of the First Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge, span ...

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

with

Vientiane Prefecture Vientiane Prefecture (, ''Nakhônlouang ViangChan'', , ) is a prefecture of Laos, in northwest Laos. The national capital, Vientiane, is in the prefecture. The prefecture was created in 1989, when it was split off from Vientiane province ...

Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

. The Lao capital city

Vientiane Vientiane (, ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of Laos. Situated on the banks of the Mekong, Mekong River at the Thailand, Thai border, it comprises the five urban districts of Vientiane Prefecture and had a population of 840,000 ...

is approximately from the bridge. The bridge is 1,170 meters (0.73 mi) long. It has two -wide road lanes, two -wide footpaths and a single gauge railway line in the middle, straddling the narrow central reservation. * The

rail gauge In rail transport, track gauge is the distance between the two rails of a railway track. All vehicles on a rail network must have wheelsets that are compatible with the track gauge. Since many different track gauges exist worldwide, gauge dif ...

is * The

loading gauge A loading gauge is a diagram or physical structure that defines the maximum height and width dimensions in railway vehicles and their loads. Their purpose is to ensure that rail vehicles can pass safely through tunnels and under bridges, and k ...

might be * The

structure gauge A structure gauge, also called the minimum structure outline, is a diagram or physical structure that sets limits to the extent that bridges, tunnels and other infrastructure can encroach on rail vehicles. It specifies the height and width of s ...

(roughly equal to a road lane) might be about

History

Opened on 8 April 1994, it was the first bridge across the lower Mekong, and the second on the full course of the Mekong. The cost was about A$42 million, funded by the

Government of Australia The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government or simply as the federal government, is the national Executive (government), executive government of Australia, a federalism, federal Parliamentary system, parliamentary con ...

development aid Development aid (or development cooperation) is a type of aid given by governments and other agencies to support the economic, environmental, social, and political International development, development of developing countries. It is distinguishe ...

for Laos. The bridge was designed and built by Australian companies as a demonstration of their ability to complete major infrastructure projects in Southeast Asia. The concept design of a balanced cantilever bridge was proposed by Bruce Ramsay of VSL with the final design carried out by Maunsell consulting engineers. It was built by John Holland. The official name of the bridge was changed, with the addition of "First" after the opening of the

Second Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of Un ...

further south at

Savannakhet Savannakhet (, ; ), officially named Kaysone Phomvihane (); since 2005 and previously known as ''Khanthaboury'' (; ), is a city in western Laos. It is the capital of Savannakhet Province. With a population of 125,760 (2018), it is the second-l ...

in January 2007.

Road traffic

Traffic on the bridge drives on the left, as in Thailand. 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. Bicycles and tricycles can travel on either the road or the footpath, while pedestrians can walk directly on the footpath. The bridge is part of AH12 of the

Asian Highway Network The Asian Highway Network (AH), also known as the Great Asian Highway, is a cooperative project among countries in Asia and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) to improve their connectivity via hig ...

Railway

A meter gauge rail track from Nong Khai station runs along the central reservation of the bridge. Road traffic is stopped when a train is crossing. In March 2004, an agreement between the Thai and Lao governments was signed to extend the railway to Thanaleng Railway Station in Laos, about from the bridge. This was the first modern railway link to Laos, as a short

portage Portage or portaging ( CA: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a '' ...

line once existed. The Thai government agreed to finance the line through a combination of grant and loan. Construction began in January 2007. Test trains began running in July 2008. The formal inauguration occurred on 5 March 2009. In February 2006, approval of funding for the rail line from Thanaleng Railway Station to Vientiane, was announced by the

French Development Agency The French Development Agency (, AFD), known from 1992 to 1998 as the Caisse Française de Développement (CFD, ), is a public financial institution that implements France's development and international solidarity policies. It works to fight pov ...

. A US$50 million loan was reportedly received from the Thai government for the extension. Construction was originally slated to begin in December 2010. Lao railway officials confirmed as late as September 2010 that plans would go ahead. The extension, which would have taken an estimated three years to complete, would have stretched from Thanaleng to a new main Khamsavath Station. The station will be completed by June 2022, and open 2023. Since February 2010, the

Eastern and Oriental Express The ''Eastern & Oriental Express'' is a luxury cruise train that carries passengers between Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. The train is operated by Belmond Limited. As of 2024, only two seasonal routes are operated between Singapore and ...

crosses the Mekong via the bridge into Laos. There is currently no connection to the China-Laos Railway. The standard gauge line circles the north east of Vientiane, to a depot just 2 km from the Friendship Bridge. A new bridge is proposed from this point, to join the proposed Thai High speed line at Nong Khai station just south of the Mekong.

Notes

References

External links