Laos and Thailand have moved a planned 820-meter bridge in Luang Prabang Province into the next stage of development, with the project’s environmental and social impact assessment and detailed design now complete and construction expected to begin in 2027.
The two sides exchanged project documents and inspected the planned bridge site on 2 October during the 23rd Lao-Thai Cooperation Committee meeting in Luang Prabang.
Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Thongsavanh Phomvihane and his Thai counterpart Sihasak Phuangketkeow attended the meeting and witnessed the document exchange for the Xiengman-Luang Prabang bridge project.
The project had previously been awaiting financing. Thailand approved THB 1.78 billion (USD 55.4 million) in financial assistance for the bridge in September through the Neighbouring Countries Economic Development Cooperation Agency.
Laos and Thailand have now negotiated the concessional loan, with Laos preparing to sign the formal loan agreement.
The project began with a memorandum signed in January 2020 for a feasibility study and detailed design. The survey was delayed until 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Ministry of Public Works and Transport said the environmental and social impact assessment has since been completed and the detailed design approved.
Bridge Details
The bridge will connect Chomphet District with Luang Prabang Town, crossing the Mekong River.
It will be 820 meters long and 21.6 meters wide, with five box-girder spans. The central section will be 120 meters long and 15 meters above the river to allow boats to pass underneath.
A 14-kilometer connecting road will link the two ends of the bridge.
Construction is expected to take four years, followed by seven years of operation and maintenance under an Output and Performance-Based Contract.
The bridge is now targeted to open in 2031.
Linking Luang Prabang to Thailand
The bridge is expected to strengthen road connections between Luang Prabang and the Xayabouly-Thailand border corridor.
Chomphet is the only district in Luang Prabang Province located on the opposite bank of the Mekong from Luang Prabang town. It borders Xayabouly, which connects onward to Thailand’s Nan Province.
The bridge is expected to reduce travel time between Nan and Luang Prabang by around 30 to 45 minutes from the current journey of roughly nine hours.
The project is part of a broader Lao-Thai infrastructure cooperation plan that includes connecting the Laos-China railway with Thailand’s rail network and developing Lao-Thai friendship bridges.
