First Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge

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Coordinates: 17 ° 52 ′ 42 "  N , 102 ° 42 ′ 56"  E

First Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge
First Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge
The bridge overlooks the Laotian side and the Mekong
Convicted Asian Highway AH12
Nong Khai – Thanaleng railway line
Subjugated Mekong
construction Box girder bridge
overall length 1170 meters (main bridge 665 meters)
width 12.70 meters
height 2.60 - 6.10 meters
building-costs 30 million US dollars
opening April 8, 1994
location
First Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge (Thailand)
First Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge

The first Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge ( Thai สะพาน มิตรภาพ ไทย - ลาว แห่ง ที่ 1 , [ sà.pʰaːn mít.trà.pʰâːp Tai Law hɛŋ TI nɯŋ ]; Laotian ຂົວ ມິດ ຕະ ພາບ ລາວ - ໄທ ແຫ່ງ ທໍາ ອິດ [ kʰǔa mit.ta.pʰâːp law Tai Tam ǐt ]) is a bridge that crosses the Mekong River and connects the provinces of Nong Khai in Thailand and Vientiane in Laos .

General

It was opened on April 8, 1994 and was the first bridge on the lower reaches and the second ever to span the Mekong.

Bridge structure

The bridge has a length of 1170 meters. It is a box girder bridge made of prestressed concrete . The bridge has two lanes each 3.5 meter wide for motor vehicles and two 1.5 meter wide footpaths. In the middle between the two lanes there is a meter-gauge railway track. The construction costs amounted to 30 million US dollars provided by the Australian government as development aid were provided. The bridge was built by Australian construction companies to demonstrate the capabilities of Australian companies. This mixing of development aid with economic interests has been criticized by some non-governmental organizations .

Traffic significance

This bridge connects the Thai capital Bangkok and the Laotian capital Vientiane with each other by land.

Non-motorized traffic

However, pedestrian traffic over the bridge is not permitted. Pedestrians and cyclists must use the shuttle bus that runs regularly between the two border posts or the train.

Road traffic

Crossing point for right / left traffic
Crossing point from right-hand traffic to left-hand traffic on the Laotian side in 2003, before the installation of traffic lights

The bridge is part of the Asian Highway AH12 . In Thailand the Thanon Mittraphap ( Thailand Route 2 ) ends here .

On the Laotian side, between the border post and the approach to the bridge, there is a transition point from right -hand traffic , which is common in Laos, to left-hand traffic in Thailand. The transition, an X-shaped crossing, is regulated by a traffic light system.

Rail transport

As early as 1994, tracks were laid from Nong Khai to the bridge, and the Nong Khai train station was rebuilt at a new location near the bridge.

On March 20, 2004, an agreement was signed between Thailand and Laos to continue building the railway line across the bridge. The first section to the newly built Thanaleng train station (with border post) began in early 2007 and was officially opened on March 5, 2009 by Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn . The operation started at the end of March 2009 and is carried out by the Thai State Railways . In addition, the Eastern and Oriental Express has been using the bridge occasionally since February 2010 .

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Structurae - Database for Engineering Structures: First Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge (German, January 24, 2012)
  2. ↑ HRH Princess Sirindhorn presides at inauguration of historic cross-Mekong rail service " ( Memento of the original dated November 30, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and remove then this note. The Nation, March 5, 2009  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.nationmultimedia.com
  3. ↑ Stefan Loose: News overview from the Vientiane Times from 1.-31. May 2009
  4. ↑ rst: Laos / Thailand: New border crossing Thanaleng-Nong Khai . In: IBSE-Telegram 235 (June 2010), p. 6.
  5. ↑ http://www.luxurytravelmagazine.com/news-articles/eastern-oriental-express-makes-its-first-journey-over-friendship-bridge-14412.php
  • Pash, D. (1993): The Mekong River Bridge Project, in "VSL News", n. 2 v. 4th
  • Selby Smith, P. (1995): Mekong River Bridge between Thailand and Laos, in "Structural Engineering International", n. 3 v. 5.