Second Thai-Myanmar Friendship bridge to be completed in 2018

BANGKOK, March 31 (TNA) -- The ceremony to pour concrete at the connecting point on the 2nd Thai-Myanmar Friendship bridge which crosses over the Moei River was held as the construction was expected to be completed by the end of 2018. Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, together with Myanmar's Construction Minister Win Khaing jointly presided over the ceremony on Thursday to pour concrete at the bridge's connecting point earlier today in Mae Sot district of Tak province. The Thai transport minister said the bridge was previously scheduled to be completed in 2019 but the ministry would speed up the construction so that the bridge would be ready and opened to the public by the end of 2018. Director-General of the Department of Highway (DOH) Thanin Somboon, meanwhile, said the Cabinet has approved the building of the 2nd Thai-Myanmar Friendship bridge on October 6, 2009, along with the initiation of the special economic zone and an import-export service centre, as well as a logistics centre and warehouse to cater to the higher number of product deliveries and the East-West Economic Corridor. The ministry believes that once this second friendship bridge is opened to the public, the number of commuters on the first one would lessen, after which the first friendship bridge would be opened to pedestrians only. The ministry also foresaw that traffic and logistics across the Mae Sot checkpoint would increase by about 10 per cent once the second bridge is completed, hiking from the 12,000 vehicles passing through the first bridge on a daily basis, 15 per cent of which are cargo trucks. (TNA)