Lao and Thai authorities report that construction works on the second bridge linking Laos' town of Savannakhet to the town of Mukdahan on the Thai side are 95% completed, with some unfinished works remaining on the Thai side.
Authorities expect to officially open the bridge in early December to coincide with Laos' National Day celebrations.
Lao officials say constructions of an international checkpoint building and the road leading to the bridge on the Lao side have been completed. The building and the road have been transferred to the responsibility of the Savannakhet government by the Japanese construction company in a recent ceremony.
The second Friedship Bridge construction project was supported by the Japanese government, through the Japanese Bank for International Cooperation or JBIC, who issued a long-term loan of 4,011 million Yen to Laos and 4,097 million Yen to Thailand.
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