Lao and Thai officials maintain that the second bridge linking their countries over the Mekong river will be completed as scheduled, even though construction was setbacked when a crane collapsed on the bridge in July due to strong wind and bad weather, killing a Japanese engineer and nine others.
The second Friendship Bridge, linking Savannakhet and Mukdahan, is scheduled to be completed in late 2006.
Listen to our Laos Today report for details.