Laos-Myanmar bridge ceremony

A groundbreaking ceremony for the Laos-Myanmar Friendship Bridge took place on Saturday in Huaykoum village in Long district, Luang Namtha province, where the Lao side of the bridge will be built. 

Luang Namtha Governor Phimmasone Leuangkhamma, Minister of Public Works and Transport Sommad Pholsena, and Myanmar’s Minister of Construction Kyaw Lwin were present at the groundbreaking ceremony. 

Huaykoum village is 15 km north of Xiengkok village in Long district. The Myanmar side of the bridge is 500 metres south of Kainglap village in Thakhilek district, Shan state. 

The bridge will be 691.8 metres long and 10.9 metres wide and will have two vehicle lanes and two sidewalks. Construction of the bridge began on the same day as the groundbreaking ceremony and will take 30 months to complete. 

The bridge is designed to carry semitrailers weighing up to 75 tonnes and can withstand earthquakes of up to 7.0 magnitude. 

Six companies have been contracted to build the bridge – the State Enterprise for Construction and Communication, State Enterprise for Road No 8, State Enterprise for Road No 20, Khounxay Patthana Construction, Chitchaleun Construction and Chaleun Construction. Laos-Myanmar Friendship Bridge Project director Xaysongkham Manotham said the bridge would be a new symbol of cooperation, relations and solidarity between the peoples of Laos and Myanmar. It would link Laos’s Road No 17E and Myanmar’s national Road No 4. 

“This bridge will also play a significant role in facilitating transport for the people of the two countries, especially in relation to commercial activities. It will enable us to connect with other countries in the region, especially Vietnam and China, and it can enable further transport links to India and Bangladesh as well,” Xaysongkham said.