Laos prepares loan agreement for Luang Prabang bridge
Thailand approved ฿1.78 billion in assistance for the Mekong crossing, which is expected to enter construction in 2027 and open in 2031.
Laos is preparing to sign a concessional loan agreement for the Xiengman-Luang Prabang bridge after completing negotiations with Thailand. Work on the 820-metre crossing in Luang Prabang Province is expected to begin in 2027, with opening targeted for 2031.
Thailand authorised financial assistance worth ฿1.78 billion (US$55.4 million) in September through its Neighbouring Countries Economic Development Cooperation Agency. Financing had previously been pending.
At the 23rd Lao-Thai Cooperation Committee meeting on 2 October, representatives exchanged bridge documents and inspected the proposed site. The exchange was witnessed by Thongsavanh Phomvihane, Laos’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, and Sihasak Phuangketkeow, his Thai counterpart.
According to the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, the environmental and social assessment is complete, while the detailed design has been approved. A memorandum signed in January 2020 covered feasibility and design work; the pandemic postponed the survey until 2022.
The crossing will join Chomphet District and Luang Prabang Town across the Mekong. Plans specify a width of 21.6 metres and five box-girder spans, including a 120-metre central section positioned 15 metres above the river for boat passage. A connecting road of 14 kilometres will link its ends.
Construction is expected to last four years. Under an Output and Performance-Based Contract, operation and maintenance will then run for seven years.
The bridge is expected to improve road links towards Thailand’s Nan Province via Xayabouly. Travel between Nan and Luang Prabang, currently roughly nine hours, is expected to become around 30 to 45 minutes shorter.
