Paklai Bridge

Soukthavy Thephavong

(KPL) The Paklai Bridge, spanning the Mekong as the longest steel truss bridge in the country (365 m), will be open for public use by the celebration of the Lao New Year in April, according to relevant officials.

The total cost of the bridge construction is about 189 billion kip (about US$23.1 million) with the Netherlands’ government providing grant aid totaling 2.3 million Euros (over 20 billion kip) towards the construction.

The bridge will be able to support 80-tonne trucks; however, Lao law prohibits trucks weighing such an amount to travel on associated roads and bridges.

The bridge itself is made of steel but in December a concrete road surface will be added to the deck.

The Thangon Bridge that crosses the Nam Ngum in Vientiane is the second longest steel bridge.

If well maintained, the Paklai Bridge should last up to 60 years.

The project manager in charge of construction, Mr. Bouavieng Champaphan has said that the structure of the main bridge has now linked the two sides of the river after 20 months of delays.

It connects Nasak village in Paklai, Xayaboury Province, to Khokkhaodor village in Xanakham, Vientiane Province, and is the third bridge linking Xayaboury with neighbouring provinces.

The other two are the bridge spanning the Mekong River between Thadeua village in Xayaboury Province and Pakkhone village in Luang Prabang Province, and a third that crosses the Mekong at Pakbaeng, linking the provinces of Xayaboury and Oudomxay.

The Paklai Bridge will ease travel from Loei Province of Thailand to Vientiane via Road No. 4 in Xayaboury Province and Road No. 11.

KPL